Resistance: Aftermath
by Miles Depth
Summary: The third and final piece of the Resistance Series. In the aftermath of of their success, the Freedom Fighters find them selves with more problems than they anticipated. Things only get worse when they discover one of their own has gone missing. What remains of the Resistance will have to work together or risk everything they fought for.
1. What Makes You Tick

The obligatory stuff:

None of the Sega &amp; DiC characters are mine, I don't in any way claim that they are. The ideas and dialog however, are mine and not representative of Sega, Archie, or DiC and their opinions or views. Ideas, characters such as Jake, and the plot are mine. All are free to use by anyone and everyone because that's what FanFiction is about. Again ideas and dialog in this story are mine and represent my work using copyrighted characters.

**A few important things about this story.**

Resistance: Aftermath is the third story in a series. It should be fun to read by itself, but there is a lot of plot points that may be lost on anyone just joining now.

Resistance is the first story in the series, and subsequently is slightly weaker given then I wasn't nearly as strong of a writer when I wrote it (my own opinion). Resistance also directly precedes this story chronologically even though Resistance: Futile was the second story in the series. What this means is that if you're interested in jumping in, you only need to read the first story (Resistance) to understand what's happening in this one. Resistance: Futile can be read at your leisure as it precedes Resistance.

**A few important things about this series.**

The Resistance series takes place in a fictional world of my own devise. I ignore most precedents in terms of world and setting provided by Archie, Sega or Dic in favor of creating my own. I wanted to write a story about how the characters would act in a war against Julian Kintobor (Robotnik) in a more familiar setting where humans are still part of every day life. The timeframe is set not that far into the future and yet should in many ways seem older (think 90's era infrastructure with tech from 100 years from now). Populations of people depending on their location will act differently. This is also true for characters based on their past and current situations. In short what I am saying is that people may seem OOC, but that is because I am interpreting how they would act given the world and scenarios I am putting them in. I don't like to build a world around predefined notions about characters because it forces too many things.

**For anyone that's still with me after all this time.**

This story is for you guys. I have loved all of your support. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to continue the series, but here it is. Hopefully a few of you are still around to read it!

**Help me be a better writer.**

I strive to be a better writer every day. I welcome any and all critiquing, and yes that includes you grammar nazis. Let me know what I can do better, what you liked and what you didn't.

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

He watched himself in the reflection of her eyes. It was easy to get lost in their endless abyss. Wrapping his paws around the small of her back, he pulled her close. The mellow sound of her breathing was hypnotic and before the Mobian could whisper more lies, he was asleep in the warmth of her arms.

Darkness grew while a chilly plague of bleakness surrounded him, swallowing him whole. It had the makings of a landscape created by a fear-fueled imagination. Nothing was the same, nothing was how it had been. He was still unsure how he had gotten here, but the vertigo of waking back into what he hoped was a more forgiving groggy reality was quick to make itself present.

Fatigue was not a feeling he was familiar with. Moving felt like it was through quick sand, smothering his momentum with every inch gained. Just putting together the thought to reach out into the blackness was tiring, let alone lifting an arm. Like his nightmares, there was no escape from the suffocating gloom that worked against him at every turn.

_Where the hell am I?_ The questions finally surfaced in his muddled mind.

Tracing his steps backwards wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Memories turned into a grey static that hurt to recall.

_Am I still dreaming?_

It would have been the easy answer, but there was no way to tell, his body was numb. When the Mobian's arm finally made it beyond where his eyes could see, the tug of cold steel and the rattle of chains were there to greet him. His back tingled in pain; it was locked tightly against a moist concrete surface.

"What?" he stammered, trying with all his might to say just the one-syllable word.

Despite the haze in his vision, a silhouette appeared in the distance as a solitary overhead light flickered into existence amidst a halogen-powered frenzy. A stuttered electric hum accompanied the entrance, complimented only by the stranger snapping his fingers in time with a growing rhythm.

* * *

Lyrics used below are not mine. I will occasionally mix in music to change things up a bit (for my own sanity really), but overall it's rare.

Now Playing: _Paper Trails _By: _DARKSIDE_

* * *

The first words the man uttered were too garbled for his senses to grasp. As the figure drew nearer, shuffling with a delightful step, another light snapped on, bringing his illusive figure closer still.

"I told you I would get you," the voice sang in time with the melody. "The back of the hand."

Sweat was running down his brow, the tone of this shadow was one that inspired fear even if he couldn't place why.

"I told you I would find you," the person sang before clicking their heels together, "a place to go."

_This isn't the type of place I would want to go._

"The grass is green but the , the sun is blue," the seemingly jolly man went on in giddy way.

There was no sun or grass to speak of, just a fleeting darkness being replaced by a the dim glow of florescent bulbs. Apprehension began to course through his blood with each new light that blinked into being. The sound of the stranger's voice only helped paint the round figure whose dance like steps brought him closer and closer.

"Better find a way, to get through to you."

_You have my attention, _he thought before testing the quality of his restraints again. Even if he hadn't been drugged, there was little chance of escape. _This isn't a dream,_ the Mobian finally realized as a new wave of panic bit into his nerves.

At just five feet a way, the man finally broke away from his song, "What's the matter, hedgehog? Don't recognize me?"

_It can't be._

When the last light sprang to life overhead, Julian pressed his bulbous nose into Sonic's face, narrowing his gaze into the defeated Mobian's eyes.

"Don't look so surprised. Did you honestly think you could kill me?" he spat with confidence.

The hedgehog was admittedly scared to speak, he was talking to a dead man after all.

"They put a bullet in your head," Sonic managed through a still numb tongue.

"Well it depends on what your view of 'my head' is," the deranged dictator began. "It was at one point, 'my head,' just not anymore."

Any attempt he made at hiding his look of awe was moot, the doctor saw through it plainly.

"It's a marvelous thing, technology," Julian went on. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Sonic looked away, refusing to meet the mad man's eyes. However, the slimy grip of the overturned dictator's fingers grasped his mussel, forcing him to face an evil he thought gone from the world.

"Don't you want to know how I did it?"

With a quick inhale, the hedgehog spit in his face, making his answer quite clear.

"Tasteless creature," the man grumbled, using his sleeve to wipe the saliva away from his face. "Have you no curiosity?"

Sonic remained defiant, maintaining his silence in the presence of an arrogance greater than his own.

"Then perhaps I'll just show you," Kintobor went on, motioning to the walls surrounding them as power brought more lights to his left to life.

A loss for words was not a common thing for the hedgehog, but for the first time in a long time he was speechless. Large tubes lined the walls, each with its very own gelatinous husk of a man floating inside. They appeared lifeless, their skin pale and eyes hollow.

"Clones?" Sonic asked in a way that suggested Julian had cheated.

The fat man chuckled deeply, "If only it were that simple. What good is a clone? It doesn't think like me, it doesn't have my memories; it quite simply, isn't me. BUT!" he emphasized raising a finger into the air, "genetically they're me, made of the same parts. If only there was a way to transfer for those things that make us so uniquely human."

"Roboticization," the Mobian whispered with a small amount of astonishment.

Tails and Sally had explained it to him countless times and he still didn't quite get it. What he did however understand was that it made you a computer, and computers could share and transfer information.

"What was that hedgehog? Did I hear you say Roboticization? More clever than you look, aren't you?" Julian chided as he strutted around, hands folded behind his back with pride. "My demonstration that night was not the first time I roboticized myself. That was just to show what could be done."

_He's insane,_ Sonic thought, staring wide-eyed at his captor.

Tapping his skull Kintobor continued, "No, I turned this into a machine first. Aside from unlocking my potential, I was also able to back up my entire consciousness. After that all I had to was download myself into a new body."

"But…" Sonic began, "It's still not really you."

"Isn't it? What are we but our memories, Sonic? What are we but a collection of experiences, emotion, and desires?" the man asked, stretching out his robotic arm to admire his work, "this feels like me."

The thought had never occurred to him. Could the memories make up the totality of a person? If boiled down to nothing but their consciousness is that all that would remain?

_Isn't there something more?_

But there he stood, as evil as ever, the sneer that crept up his rosy cheeks looking sinister and mysterious. It was hard to deny that this was Julian Kintobor.

"No," he finally muttered, denying the facts as they appeared before him. "Fiona killed you."

"Believe whatever you like, hedgehog. It won't help you, no matter how stubborn you are."

Sonic tugged at the chains again, but it was pointless. He could feel the IV line in his arm, pumping him full of what felt like sedatives. His strength was gone, his mind on the fleeting edge of consciousness.

"And I am so glad you brought up those foxes. I have added some space down here just for them," Julian said gruffly while motioning to the free shackles next to Sonic. "Ordinarily I wouldn't waste my time with such pathetic creatures, but they made things personal when they killed me."

The hedgehog almost laughed when he heard Kintobor say it so nonchalantly. "What did you expect after you got between them? I did that once and it nearly got me killed…" Sonic trailed off.

"I fed her, clothed her, gave her free reign of my country!" the mad man roared. "And how does she thank me? With a bullet. What kind of gratitude is that!? And as for my little brat of a nephew taking sides with Naugus… well I am sure I can find some more room down here."

"Good luck catching them," the hedgehog scoffed.

"Colin," he laughed, "That sniveling buffoon would piss himself dry if he knew I was alive. As for the foxes, I am not that worried about it, I caught you didn't I?"

Sonic gulped, Julian had caught him, and he still wasn't sure how. His memory was a distant thing still.

"Miles weakness is the same as yours, the girl. So pathetic you let some inconsequential emotion get you killed."

"Look who's talking," the Mobian laughed, "look where greed got you."

The foxes had persevered through more than anyone could imagine and it was only because of the love for each other that they were able to survive long enough to get the revenge they both desired.

"You felt so safe that I was able pluck you right from where you sleep whilst your lover lay next to you."

"Sally? What did you do with her!?" the Freedom Fighter screamed at the top of his lungs, his flesh tearing as he tugged at the irons with an adrenalin fueled rage.

Kintobor began to chuckle, clearly amused with himself, "The princess is just fine… for now. She's not the one I was talking about."

Sonic gulped, _how did he find out about that? Was she in on it too?_

"Your affinity for the pink hedgehog amuses me. Such an obnoxious creature, even you must agree."

"You leave Amy out of this!"

His relationship with her was complicated at the very least and it certainly explained how Julian had gotten to him. The pink hedgehog's tattered apartment was in the heart of the Capital City.

"No need to waste your breath, I don't have the time or patience to waste on her. Although I do wonder how the princess feels about this romance."

Sonic remained quiet, stewing in his own pity and self loathing.

"Of course," the dictator laughed, "just as I suspected, she doesn't know."

Amy had been an accident. She had been there when Sally wasn't. The princess had a way of freezing him out, but the warmth in pink hedgehog's smile never dulled. His only regret was not ending it before it got out of hand. Sonic often found himself sneaking away to see her. It had become his guilty pleasure.

"What do you want Kintobor?"

"Kintobor is dead," the man snapped back, "you may address me as Doctor Robotnik."

In his groggy state, Sonic twirled the letters around in his head.

_R-o-b-o-t-n-i-k—K-i-n-t-o-b-o-r_… _Backwards, he spelled his name backwards. _

"You're joking right?" the Freedom Fighter asked sarcastically.

The mad man laughed as he stretch out his robotic arm again, letting it glimmer in the light, "I find it a bit more fitting now, don't you?"

Sonic fought the urge to spit in his face again, "let's just get this over with Robobutt."

"Patience!" the overthrown dictator scowled. "Your time will come. I have plans for you, so get comfortable."

"Patience isn't my strong suit, doc," the hedgehog dared to tease him, knowing now that his life was strangely important to the deranged man.

"So quick aren't you? No time to stop and think, let alone sit still. I am going to figure out what makes you tick, hedgehog. A few needle pricks here, and a few exploratory surgeries there. I will wear you down until everything that you are is mine, Sonic. Your limitless speed will be nothing more than feature for me to harness."

"I'll die first."

"I know, I know," Robotnik said as he looked to the shadows on his left, "but I'll be sure to take of you until I'm done."

Following the man's gaze Sonic could only make out the telltale silhouettes of the large test tubes. Squinting, the hedgehog attempted to pry into the darkness, but his unadjusted vision was useless in these dreary conditions.

_What's' he hiding?_

"This is going to be so much fun," the doctor said with an uncomfortable amount of joy.

They trained for this, but nothing about torture struck Sonic as fun.

"Forget Capital City, I'll take all of Mobius."

Sonic was still quiet. He had lost the will to speak. Tails had made his mistake, but it was starting to look as if Sonic's would have larger and farther reaching consequences. Now it remained to be seen whether, like the two-tailed fox, he could fix it.

"I'll be sure to give the princess your regards, Sonic," Julian said before turning around.

"You're not going to get away with this. You know that right?"

"But I already have. Good night, Sonic," the man waved as the overhead lights faded.

The icy cold feeling of a narcotic began to flood his veins, entering through the needle in his arm, bringing with it the warmth of sleep. His conscious was whisked away into the darkness again.


	2. Do You Trust Me

"Do you trust me?" the squirrel asked, a sincere smile on her face.

_Do I have a choice?_

Sally hadn't exactly made the fox's life easier since she arrived. The Princess had wanted the vixen dead since she had fallen into Kintobor's hands.

"No," Fiona replied rather bluntly, settling into a posture of folded arms.

_Why give her the satisfaction? Either of them! _She thought more forcefully before shifting her gaze to the right of the squirrel. Sonic stared back with a look of contempt. Out of anyone he had been the least welcoming, but perhaps that's because Fiona had managed to shoot him.

_I only grazed you,_ she longed to say out loud, but was still very afraid to mention that day ever again.

Sally nodded before leaning back in her chair, "I assumed as much. Could I at least have your cooperation?"

Glancing over at the two-tailed fox next to her, the former Dominion agent searched his eyes for how he felt, knowing the question was as much his to answer. They were a team now, more than ever. He nodded ever so subtly, encouraging her with just the gentlest tip of his head.

"Of course," she replied, perhaps too much out of instinct for her own taste. "As long as there is some benefit for me," the vixen quickly stipulated.

For too long she had been marching to someone else's orders for next to nothing in return. _You always roll over don't you, Fiona?_ She lamented.

"How about a chance to live here," Sonic spat back rather distastefully. "You should be grateful as it is."

_Me? It's all of you that should be grateful! I was the one who killed that fat slob! _Fiona thought before remembering the cost of such a feat. Too many had died to even begin to count it as a victory, many by her paws.

"I try not to do anything doesn't advance our species," Sally responded tactfully. "I already told you when you two first arrived that there is plenty of work left to be done. More than I would like for Julian being dead anyway."

"Because of Colin?" Tails inquired, finally breaking his long held silence.

"Amongst other things," the squirrel sighed. "He is a Kintobor after all, one who shares the late Doctor's distaste for Mobians."

_She isn't wrong to be concerned._ Despite being laughably frightened of Mobians, the small balding man had an air about him that made her fur stand up.

"I thought you were concerned about Ixis?" the vixen interjected, trying to avoid the subject all together.

"I was, but if he is bending to Colin's whim then removing him won't solve many of our problems," the princess answered before pausing momentarily. "What do you know about him?"

"He's an odd one," Fiona hesitated, not quite sure how to continue. "Kintobor was always at this throat for one thing or another, pushing him to do this or that. I am not even sure where he came from, one day he was just there in Julian's office."

"And you never asked?" Sally pushed.

_What do you care where that little twerp came from?_

"When you have a bomb strapped to your neck you learn not to ask too many questions, just do what you're told."

"So that's it?" Sonic asked, snorting in an unimpressed manor. "All the good you're going to do."

It hurt to have them question her. Tails had promised her friends, but she only saw enemies.

"Ignore him," the princess said waving the hedgehog off. "Go on."

"He doesn't like Mobians," she said solemnly, knowing they wouldn't understand.

"You don't say?" came the hedgehog's accent with a sincere tone of sarcasm. "A Kintobor that doesn't like Mobians?"

"No, it's not like that," Fiona assured them. "Snively isn't like Julian. He doesn't hate us for the same reasons. He… he is afraid of us, deathly afraid. The man could never stand to be in the same room as me."

Sally shot a nervous glance at Sonic, which he ignored.

"So?" the cobalt blue freedom fighter replied.

_What does he want from me?_ Scratching the back of her head she searched her mind for anything noteworthy about an otherwise bland person.

"So, I never saw a lot of him. He was almost always in Julian's private lab working on something or another which I found rather odd for a publicist," the vixen admitted as she pondered the thought out loud. "But then again, he was smart in an uncanny way. I can't actually ever recall a time Colin was wrong… to the point where even Julian wouldn't doubt him."

_Is that how Kintobor got Roboticization working again? _The red fox asked herself. The coincidences where unsettling now that she had a reason to care.

"So what are you saying?" Sally inquired, "that he is smart?"

"That would be one way to put it. Colin would have moments of profound brilliance that were hard to describe. He would divine statistics, history, strategy and physics from nowhere. Hell, Jake once bet him twenty credits he couldn't put his gun back together. I am not sure I ever saw Jake so upset."

Everyone's eyes were still on her, as if they expected more.

"Look," the vixen exclaimed as she threw her arms up, "I spent the last four years pretending he was nothing, but if I were you," she hesitated, "I would be afraid of him."

Sally nodded in agreement, "Which is why I would like to do something about him."

"Capital City is in anarchy," the kit began, "why not let things take their course? No one is left to keep things in order. Can't we let things burn out before we get involved?"

"We could," Sally answered in such a way there was an obvious a 'but' was coming. "But, if I had to guess it's all on purpose."

"All of what?" Fiona asked, now moderately curious.

"Most people outside of Capital City won't know who either Ixis Naugus or Colin Kintobor is. If they are to be trusted by the public, they need to earn it on a national scale."

"And?" The vixen pressed.

"And if they save the city from brink of civil unrest and restore order to the entire country, then they have exactly what they need to step in to power, election or not," Miles answered for the Princess, putting things together for himself.

"Wait," Fiona paused for a moment, "but Ixis controls over half the city's underworld already. Wouldn't he be the one causing the uprisings, which would mean…"

Both of the Resistance fighters smiled as she put it together. The vixen had never contemplated such a grand scheme before, the very same kind that no doubt were at the forefront of her previous masters' minds on a daily basis.

_Naugus is going to wave his arms and make it appear as if he can make all the problems disappear… the same ones that he caused. _

"This little dynamic duo is creating a leg up over the entire electorate system. It just remains to be seen who will be the white knight to ride in and 'save us all'," Sonic mocked as he began to pace behind the squirrel.

"So you want Miles and I to deal with Ixis before he becomes a problem?" Fiona asked reluctantly.

"Actually no," Sally replied with a big smirk, "I think I have changed my mind about that. Given your history I am going to leave that to Sonic. The last thing I need is you two making another 'deal' with him. You two can track down that little imp and finish what I should have."

_What you should have? _Fiona longed to ask but didn't.

"So you don't trust us?" Tails trailed off as he too crossed his arms.

The squirrel chuckled condescendingly, "I trust you do what needs to be done."

"And when does this need to be done?" the vixen inquired.

"I think you two have had long enough of a vacation. Yesterday would have been sufficient."

A smile pursed the vixen's lips as she reflected on one of the first stress free weeks she had had in nearly a decade. Slipping away from Sally's watchful gaze the foxes had always managed to find the easier side of life. Lounging around in the desert oasis had become her new favorite past time. Yet part of her still yearned for the rubbish filled streets of her past.

Miles grumbled under his breath, "anything else?"

"Nothing messy. We don't need any more sympathy for the Kintobor's if we hope to accomplish anything meaningful."

"So don't drop him off a building?" the vixen asked playfully.

As much as she loved her new partner, Fiona still missed Jake. The last of his deeds that she knew about included throwing Snively off a skyscraper. Just picturing it brought a grin to her face.

"Not unless it looks like an accident," the squirrel remarked sternly.

"Do you really think he is going to let us find him?" Tails asked, visibly frustrated, "let alone stage some accident?"

"Not my problem," the princess replied without much of a care.

"You're smart little cuz," Sonic added, "I am sure you two will figure it out. If not you can always shoot him." The hedgehog went on as he shifted his eyes towards the vixen.

_How is he the one who gets to be upset about this? He's the one who tried to kill me!_

"All is fare in love and war after all," Fiona answered with a devilish smile.

"And what if Naugus doesn't like us playing in his back yard?" the kit continued, ignoring the other two's banter.

"I'm sure Sonic will have dealt with him well before you arrive. Isn't that right Sonic?"

"Yeah, Sal," he managed still not having removed his gaze form Fiona's, "whatever you say."

"He's going to see this coming," Fiona sighed, "he always has."

"I doubt that," the princess replied rather curtly. "You give him too much credit. He only ever let you see his success, not his failures. There's a reason you never saw his family before they died… due to his arrogance might I add. And even if all he does is hide on the third floor of his casino, he'll still be easier to get than Julian ever was."

The vixen couldn't help but let her jaw unhinge, _how does she know so much about him? _Fiona could swear she was one of the few people who knew the truth about Ixis' family, _but so does Sally..._

"How do you know that?" the red furred fox demanded as if they were her secrets to protect.

"Know what?" Sally asked defensively.

"About his wife, about Patrick, about the third floor?"

"I run an intelligence network, Fiona. It's my job to know that kind of stuff."

"He never told anyone about his family…" the vixen reasoned.

The squirrel stared intently, daring Fiona to challenge her, but rather than let the silence build up, the Princess shifter her gaze to Tails, "When you two are done with your honeymoon, feel free to get back to work."

_Maybe I deserved that, _the vixen thought while Miles visibly held back a snarl before snapping to his feet. Reaching for his arm, Fiona tugged on his shoulder, pulling away the hatred with her touch alone.

_Don't let them do this to you, you're better than this._ The kit had already proven what lengths he would go to defend her, he didn't need to torch what little bridge remained between him and his family.

"Come on Miles," Fiona said with her eyes, glancing at the door.

The two-tailed fox smiled as he turned his back on the squirrel. "Dead Kintobors are our specialty," he proclaimed triumphantly.

Fiona made sure to let the door shut nice and hard behind her. There was no reason to pretend to be happy with how they were being treated.

"Sonic," Sally began as soon as the foxes were gone, "Is there something I need to know about? It's not like you to speak out of turn."

Fiona watched as Tails rolled his eyes. _Perhaps this is normal?_ The vixen wanted to keep walking, but the allure of their private conversation had already turned her around to face the source.

"Me? I am not even sure you're the same Sally anymore. You've been two different people for the last four years and I am never sure which one I am going to get. I only said what needed to be said, the things that if I didn't know better, you wanted to say."

"We need her to help us, not find a reason to turn on us."

"What gives, Sal? All the sudden you feel like using the carrot instead of the stick? Didn't I suggest that from the start? You sent me to kill her, remember? Why do you want to trust her now?"

Both her and Tails stared at the door as if they could see through it. _Have they forgotten we're Mobians just like they are? Or do they want us to hear this?_

"I don't! But that doesn't mean we don't need her to trust us. Fiona is valuable and Tails will keep her in line."

The look of shame that crossed the two-tailed fox's face was undeniable. There was no defending their words, not that he would have ever tried.

"That fox has never been anything more than a tool for our enemies. Are you hoping that she can remember how to think for herself or are you going to use her just like they did?"

Swallowing her breath, the vixen fought back tears as Miles tore her away from the egress.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonic," Sally said as their argument began to fade into obscurity.

"That's what we all are to you isn't it? Just pieces in your chess game. What am I in all of this, Sally?"

The vixen forced herself to tune it out, instead focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as she padded after a two-tailed fox. It was difficult to ignore such a large elephant in such a small corridor, but Fiona did her best.

"Sally mentioned something about how she should have taken care of Colin when she had the chance," she began in a meek voice.

"She's no slouch when it comes to strategy," the kit replied. "She probably saw him coming a long ways off but didn't see him as a big enough threat to kill. We're the resistance, not one of Julian's Dominion squads."

"Bet she regrets that…"

"I think we all regret a lot of things."

Fiona's mind tried and failed to count the number of things she would do over again given the chance.

_Not you,_ she decided before pushing the remaining memories from her thoughts.

Tails was walking with heavy feet down a long corridor she had never explored. It's blank stainless steel walls faded into nothing more than the bare rock the tunnel had been dug through. Soon any sign of habitation vanished leaving nothing but the approaching shadows.

"Miles," Fiona called after him before picking up her pace, "where are we going?"

The light was growing sparse and while she had grown accustomed to the darkness in her previous life, its encapsulating gloom had left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Do you trust me?" the kit's echoing voice replied.

_He should know he doesn't have to ask. _

"Of course sweetie, why wouldn't I?"

The glow of one of his canines pierced the darkness, outlining the overbearing grin on the two-tailed fox's face. Fiona could hear the flick of a large switch and the hum of high voltage electricity.

_What's he doing?_

As the florescent bulbs overhead warmed their way into existence, Fiona finally realized she was no longer standing in the confines of a several decade old tunnel, but rather an entrance to a cavern of immense size. Walking slowly into its expanse she couldn't help but admire the abundance of space and high ceilings.

_Why do I need to trust you for this?_ The vixen nearly asked until her eyes landed on the dusty red bi-plane before her. Large letters were printed across the wings that spelled out 'Tornado.'

_A name any twelve year old would give one of his toys,_ she smiled. For an aircraft that looked closer to a century old it was in magnificent shape.

"Is it yours?" Fiona inquired already knowing the answer.

"Started putting it together when I was ten."

_Of course you did. What don't you know how to do?_

"Haven't flown it in a while though," the Tails trailed off.

_This must be how you learned to fly so well. _She had never asked, assuming instead that the kit was naturally good at everything he did.

"It's nice…" Fiona hesitated, not knowing how to continue.

"I thought maybe you would want to see the sun set from somewhere a little higher up."

It was hard to hide the small gasp that left her mouth. Heights had stopped agreeing with her nearly a month ago, not that they had ever gotten along before that. The thought of getting into another plane was beyond terrifying.

"Does it even work?" the red fox deflected.

Tails scoffed, "Of course!" running a protective hand along the craft's outer shell as if the vixen had hurt its feelings.

_His first love,_ she mused with her wry smile, cautiously taking a step closer.

"I don't need to be jealous, do I?" Fiona asked, nodding her head in the direction of his paw that was still caressing the riveted machine.

"I snapped every last piece into place and tightened every bolt… I know this plane better than I know myself," the kit admitted reluctantly.

Running a finger along the fuselage, Fiona left behind a strip of gleaming cherry paint, "The last time I got into one of these with you…" she began knowing there was no need to continue.

"We're alive," the two-tailed fox was quick to remind her, "and I won't ever let anything change that."

It was a bold promise, perhaps even unrealistic, but it was all what she needed to hear. She watched as he climbed the footholds and rolled into the cockpit.

"Here," he exclaimed enthusiastically before tossing a pair of goggles in her direction, "you're going to need these."

They stank of hedgehog, but Fiona had a feeling this wasn't the time or the place to bring that up. Tightening the strap, the vixen rested the leather wrapped tempered glass on her forehead. With a deep breath she placed one paw after another in the make shift ladder affixed to the plane.

The red fox was never quite sure of what to expect when she reached the top, but what she found didn't put her at ease. The cockpit was every bit as old in design as the rest of the aircraft. The instrument gauges looked like they where made before her parents were born while the pedals still used cables instead of hydraulics or electric feedback. However, that still wasn't the most problematic item.

"It only has one seat," she frowned.

Without missing a beat Miles patted his thigh indicating she should sit on his lap, "I promise nothing bad will happen this time."

This felt too much like everything she feared. _Do it for him,_ Fiona assured herself.

Stepping into the small aluminum enclosure things slowly began to get better. The warmth of the kit's body against her back was everything the vixen needed to remind her she was not alone in this.

"What now?" she asked playfully wagging her tail.

His paw found hers and began to gently guide the tips of her fingers to all of the switches. Slowly the dust-covered vehicle came belching to life with a deafening gurgle of black smoke.

"The engine," Miles yelled over the noise, "is the only thing that isn't original. It's lighter, more efficient, and faster."

"What about louder?" Fiona joked before she felt a soft woolen texture envelope her ears.

"Is that better?" the kit asked over the headset, his voice clear as cloudless sky.

Fiona nodded her head; the ruckus of the engine was now nothing more than an obnoxious hum.

Tails eased the throttle forward and in no time at all the plane was moving through the cavern.

"Miles?" she asked over the mic while she searched for an exit.

There wasn't a response, only more speeding into the cave. His hands were still atop hers, guiding her motions.

"Miles, sweetie, the wall," Fiona whispered.

"Do you trust me?" he asked again.

The rock's surface grew closer, well past the point of no return. _What choice do I have?_

"Of course," the vixen replied only half as sincerely as before.

Taking one last gulp she braced herself for the inevitable impact only to find herself feeling weightless as the plane abruptly left the ground. Hanging in the stale air above the massive quarry amidst the fading sun, Tails pulled back on the stick. The climb was steep, but it was only a few seconds before they escaped the confines of their underground home.

Looking back, Fiona tried to figure out where they had come from.

"The wall is nothing more than a projection," the kit answered for her.

The vixen's breathing finally began to steady as they leveled out, wind whipping through her hair.

"You got it?" Miles asked.

_Got what?_ She wanted to ask, but his paws were already gone. Fiona was the only one in control of the plane now.

It was nothing like Kintobor's fleet. Everything in this aircraft was mechanical, she could feel the plane talking to her right through the yoke. There was no fancy computer to fly for her, no sensors to lock in on a precise vector and thrust, only the vixen's intuition. She hung by the thread of her determination to keep them aloft. It was frighteningly liberating to be so in control. Fiona smiled as she weaved them through the currents of air.

A purple haze extended outwards, it's tendrils of light radiating from the sun as it sunk beneath the horizon. Even from atop Kintobor's headquarters, the birth of night had never looked so beautiful.

"It's nice up here," the vixen said without thinking.

She could see his smile in the reflection of the windshield.

"Where would you like to go?"

When they were up here everywhere felt simultaneously very close and very far. The ground was impossibly far away, but distant locations such as Coastaries felt as if they were around the corner. The world was at her proverbial fingertips. However, there was only one place she wanted to be.

"I want to go home," she whispered into the radio.

* * *

Sorry for a chapter lacking in action, but this one is kind of necessary to put a perspective on time relative to the first chapter.

Anyway, hopefully it's a little more cheerful than the first. Reviews are appreciated.

Cheers,

M.D


	3. Falling Through

First things first. Special thanks to Saber for doing an amazing job on the cover art for this story. Take a look at the link in my profile to see more of his work!

* * *

Everything was falling into place. It was far too easy to play their game when he set his mind to it. Perhaps one day he would thank the Mobians for toying around with his brain. At first it was terrifying, but now the world and all its secrets were his.

_First Ixis and now the girl._

"No, Tails!" she screamed.

How had Kintobor been so blind? The girl had been sitting right underneath his nose for weeks. With any luck the dictator and his incompetence wouldn't be around much longer any way.

_Only his friends call him Tails,_ Colin smiled as he watched from just off stage.

Just like any good soldier caught off guard, Jake did what came natural and grabbed the traitor.

"Jake," she begged as the man's grip sunk into her shoulder, "stop, you're hurting me."

"What have we here?" the fat slob asked if everyone was interested in his showmanship. "Someone who know Miles by his pet name in my midst?"

It was a wonder he hadn't choked on a rhetorical question yet. Every other sentence he spoke was a question everyone already knew the answer too.

"A spy?" Julian he attempted to deduce. "No you're just a girl," quickly ruling the notion out. "Ah!" his face jiggled with glee, "Yes, wait a moment, I know who you are."

_Our president ladies and gentlemen… what a genius, _Colin lamented as he watched with growing anticipation.

"Hello Mara," the dictator said with a warm voice, a grin exploding across his face. "Oh this night just keeps getting better and better."

_I couldn't agree more._

"Collin," the rotund man commanded, "If you would be so kind to show her up on stage."

Sighing heavily, he hopped off the stage, pushing his way through the crowed. They stank of sweat, their breaths tinged with alcohol. _Why does he bother to entertain them? They're nearly as fifthly as Mobians. _

The new class of wealth in Capital City was young and reckless. Kintobor had no shame when it came to asking for more money. He would pander to the lowest of the low if it meant putting more fuel into his war machine. Finally having gotten his hands on Ixis' donors must have made his day.

_It's too bad he doesn't know that kooky old man isn't dead. _

A gaze of fright greeted him as he grew nearer to the girl. Colin couldn't help but extend his smile even further toward his ears; s_he is the key to everything!_

Shifting his gaze to Jake, Colin did his best not to act intimidated. The soldier was nearly twice his size and far too prone unpredictable acts of rage. Reaching for the girl, the Dominion agent relented knowing that he had no other choice.

_Not so tough now, are you, Jake?_

"No!" the girl screamed obnoxiously in his hear, "Jake, don't let him do this!"

Acting like the trained dog that he was, Jake did nothing more than watch as Colin dragged her towards the center of the stage. _How predictable,_ he thought just before a thunderous crash of footsteps approached from behind. _What is it now?_

The sniveling man turned just in time to see Jake mid tackle. Air left his lungs as the soldier collided with his mid-section causing the girl to slip from his grasp. However, before the oaf could do anymore damage, security pulled him off, attempting to restrain the enraged man.

"You've done it now, Jakey boy," Colin laughed as he tried to stand up, "you're as good as dead. I should have known you were as soft as the rest of them."

Screams erupted from the other side of the room as sounds of a stampede amplified through the auditorium. Everyone was running in fear of a newly freed fox. Colin paused as he tried to catch his breath and stomach the bubble in his throat. Mobians, big or small had the same affect on him.

He wasn't sure why, but he hated them. The dread he felt in their presence only solidified the fact. Backing away slowly, Colin tried to find his courage, but he couldn't in the face of such a well-known killer. Miles Prower was as fearsome as they came and here he was free, in the same room. A gunshot shattered Colin's fragile psyche, sending him another step backwards reeling in fear. It took every ounce of his concentration not to collapse.

"No," Julian proclaimed in a tone of disbelief, "this can't be. Fiona," the fat man pleaded now, "think of everything I have done for you!"

The vixen stood in the center of the hall, clasping her paws to the bare red fur around her neck in disbelief. Colin gulped as both his fear and adrenalin doubled.

_Too soon… This wasn't supposed to happen so quickly… Ixis!_

The red fox had never been kind to him with her collar on and he was in no mood to find out what she might do to him without it. Part of his plan had always been to free her, to use her to kill the fat man, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

_Focus Colin! Focus and you can get out of this._

The robotic lion on stage let out a roar as it leapt clean over him, cracking the wooden floor when it landed. Almost immediately it took of after the Resistance fighter whilst everyone else looked on apprehensively.

_The girl!_ He reminded himself._ You need to get the girl!_

Removing his pistol from the inside of his coat, Colin crept up behind an unsuspecting Mara. Pressing the barrel into the small of her back, he wrapped his free arm around her mouth.

Her tiny, muffled screams never roused the suspicions of anyone who might come to her aide. They were all too busy taming a metallic lion. One step at a time, Colin was able to force her towards the service elevator in the hallway.

The room quieted with one last thunderous crack just as he reached the hallway. The defeated girls screams finally began to carry a meaningful distance. However, it was too late. The elevator had arrived and in a matter of seconds he would be on the roof.

Colin waved goodbye to Jake as the doors shut, smiling devilishly at the man's futile attempt to save the girl.

Mara quivered in his grasp, incapable of much besides breathing. Something had already taken the fight out of her. _You lied to him, you used him,_ Colin thought, _and now you see this as your punishment..__.__ foolish girl. _

The sky was awash with Capital City's neon lights. Stepping out into the stiff breeze, Colin began to panic, _where is it? Where is the helicopter?_ Beads of sweat began to form even has he heard its engine in the distance. _No one can make it up here that quickly,_ he deiced.

Looking out into the distance he waited patiently for the blinking lights of the chopper to grow closer.

"You're coming with me," he finally decided to inform her of the obvious.

She didn't reply.

Then the unthinkable happened. The sound of a deadbolt shattering wrenched him away from thoughts of victory, forcing him to turn around and face a more pressing problem.

"Sar… Mara," Jake corrected himself while fumbling for his breath, "it's going to be alright."

_So many lies they've told each other. _

"How nice of you to reassure her, but it only makes you a liar."

"Where do you think you're going, Colin?" the man asked motioning to the lack of obvious escapes.

_What difference does it makes, you won't be around to care._

"Back to the lab," he answered anyway. "With just a drop of her blood I will have everything I need to finish Julian's work. The world will be mine soon enough," Colin grinned menacingly.

"And just how do you plan on getting there?"

"Always so slow, Jake?"

The hum of the rotors soon became loud enough for anyone to hear, even if you weren't listening for them.

He gripped Mara's arm more tightly, reminding the little witch who was in charge.

"Uh uh ahh," Colin shook his head as the patter of his salvation grew closer, "not another step, Jake. I would hate to have to kill such a pretty girl. I only need her blood remember."

Mara had been delivered right to him all while the other portions of his plan were coming together at an alarmingly fast rate. The two-tailed fox freed the red one and if the universe was being good to him, they were now in the process of hunting down Julian. _You never showed me enough respect, uncle. You never could see my potential. _

With one simple move, Colin had checkmated the most powerful figure in the country. The only thing keeping him from ruling the world now was the former Dominion Agent in front of him.

"Then take what you need and leave her, and so help me god I will let you live." the traitor retorted.

_They all underestimate me. _

Pressing his pistol into the girl's neck Colin made his point clear, "Do you really feel like you are in a position to make threats?"

Jake had always fancied himself better than everyone else and Colin had no intention of letting that continue. He would put the oversized gorilla in his place just like he had everyone else.

"Do you?" the agent had the audacity to reply.

The girl meant everything to him, enough to throw away what little of a life he had left. Certainly he wouldn't take a gamble on her life. _Would he?_

"She's the only thing between you and me. You kill her," Jake laughed uneasily at the thought, "well, let's just say I'll finally be putting all those interrogation tactics you cram down our throats to some use."

It was hard to hide the gulp. Even with the girl firmly in his grasp, the threat of torture was enough to make him second-guess getting between a man as big as Jake and the woman he loved. The Mobians had shown him a world of terror and they were much smaller creatures.

"You don't scare me," Colin replied convincingly.

The problem was Jake did scare him. This particular Dominion agent was prone to unpredictable fits of rage. If Mara wasn't enough leverage to keep the agent back, then Colin was as good as dead.

"Ha!" the agent laughed as he advanced, "Don't kid yourself, everything scares you."

Outside of Mobians little scared him. The sharper his mind grew the less he feared. His demeanor was nothing more than a façade now, designed to fool the overconfident.

_If they think I am weak they will be blind to my strength._

For years he had played the part of patsy. He was the genius behind all the breakthroughs, the linchpin to all of Kintobor's work, taking Roboticization to new heights.

"Not another step," Colin shouted as he cocked his pistol with his thumb.

"Or what?" Jake asked before taking another.

"I'll kill her."

Killing the girl would be easy, but dealing with Jake was a different story. Once the girl was gone so too was his leverage.

"Will you?" the agent asked as if he had everything figured out.

It was too late to turn his gun on the overgrown copper. At this range Jake could probably comfortably shoot him without worrying about accidentally hitting the girl. Jake had called his bluff.

Colin released his grip on the girl delicately so as if not to alarm her. It took her a moment to realize she was free, turning slowly with an inquisitive look. Perhaps she expected to be dead, the guilt-ridden expression on her face said as much.

It was obvious Mara didn't trust him, and why should she? Backing away slowly, she refused to take her eyes off of the short man, unknowingly obscuring Jake's line of sight.

A devilish smirk crept up Colin's lips as he raised his weapon again.

_Jake will never see it coming._

Squeezing the trigger, the publicist readied himself for the sudden pop of his pistol. An explosion came and went, but the pressure he had expected to feel in his hand was instead somewhere north of his appendix. A nauseous feeling set in quickly and before he knew it his world was spinning.

The pain set it when Colin's knees hit the ground. He could feel the blood running down his leg.

_He shot me…_

"Damn it, Jake," Colin swore, "You always were such an ass."

He tried to back away, but the Dominion Agent was already on top of him, his hand wrapped firmly around the collar of his shirt. Stomaching the pain was difficult, even harder was fabric tightening around his neck. As he gasped for air, Colin looked at the ground below him. It seemed forever away.

"Jake!" Mara's voice grated his ears. "Just leave him, he doesn't need to die."

_Yes,_ the short man gulped, _listen to her, I don't need to die._

"You hear that?" the Dominion agent smiled wryly, "You don't need to die. You're lucky someone in this world still finds some value in your life."

Colin managed to open his eyes when a solid surface was under his feet again. All he had to do now was focus, it wasn't too late. Reaching inside his pocket he found the grip of a stun gun. He had never used it before, but gleefully rejoiced in the results. It made the biggest of men insignificant and week. Pushing harder, Colin drove the energized electrodes into Jake's mid section.

The agent's gun fell to the ground followed shortly by its owner. Jake withered on the ground, sweating as he fumbled for his breath.

_Not so tough now!_ Colin thought as he drove his foot into the man's ribs. It felt electrifyingly good to inflict so much pain. Each kick sent the agent closer to the edge. _Ha!_ The short man nearly laughed out loud, _how about a taste of you own medicine. _

Kneeling down Colin examined the Dominion agent who now hung by nothing more than his fingertips, "It appears love is your weakness, Jake. How fitting for a man made of principle." Standing up, he continued, "I'll be sure to thank Mara for saving my life."

"You always were a coward," the man had the audacity to quip.

"Tell me Jake," Colin chided as Jake looked past him, "how delusional does one have to be to talk out of place when he is about to die?"

_You don't even have the nerve to look me in the eye._

"Not sure Snively, you tell me?"

_He thinks he can fool me._

"Jake, look at you, just hanging there. Tell me, what use is all that strength now?"

"You're afraid to do it aren't you?" the man laughed, "Be a man!"

_Afraid, on the contrary, I am enjoying this far too much to end it just yet._

"Do you honestly think you can goad me into doing something stupid with petty name calling?" Colin asked, crossing his arms. "Or do you just want to die faster?"

"He probably wanted to give me enough time to get his gun," a woman's voice stated sternly from behind.

Colin could feel his eyes widen as he braced himself for the inevitable. The ground came into view once more as the world tumbled in out of view. A sharp pain in his shoulder was secondary to the feeling of helplessness as gravity took over. In an instant, the fall that had lasted forever was over, ending in an abrupt blackness.

The world was slow to resume, the tendrils of his thought barely reaching past any semblance of awareness. _This is no time to panic, Colin,_ the short man thought to himself, struggling with the reality he might be dead. He was suffocating in a fowl odor that he not only couldn't place, but didn't want to.

Eyes still closed, he extended his hands outwards, searching himself, expecting to find a broken body beneath his fingertips. Only the smooth fabric of his bloodstained clothes greeted him. Colin would have laughed, but the hole in torso made it painful.

_I am alive!_ Snively exclaimed to no one but himself.

Getting shot hadn't hurt half as much as he expected. Bullets were far less troublesome than what the Resistance had already done to him. Finally opening his eyes, it wasn't to the glistening streets of Capital City, but the torn bags of trash inside a dumpster. He was covered from head to foot in garbage and smelled the part of a vagrant. What kind of metaphor was there to be found in being saved by a pile of rubbish? _What is the world trying to tell me?_

But that is not what concerned him as he crawled out of the festering dumpster, _what about Julian? Did he make it?_

The explosions in the distance told the tale of someone losing, but there was no telling who.

_The foxes, surely they will tear him to pieces, _Snively laughed over the distant gunfire._ The red one is free now… How many times did I try to warn him about her? How many times did I tell him not to trust her?_

Not that he minded. It's what Colin had wanted after all. However, he had always intended to be much further away when the leash was removed.

The fox's nature was predictable, once free there would only be one thing on her mind, revenge. All he had to do was find a way to get rid of the collar without being noticed and the fat man was as dead, at the hands of a Mobian no less.

Strangely enough, Ixis had been desperate to free the fox as well. There was little doubt the cunning man saw a similar opportunity in the vixen's release. Colin knew it was dangerous to do business with the crime lord, but the price Ixis ended up paying for the schematics was far higher than he could have ever anticipated.

Without any hesitation, Snively had asked the man to hold out his hands.

* * *

Sorry for a boring chapter, but it's important to set all the groundwork for the rest of the story. Also, I am sure there were a few of you wondering how Snively lived.

Reviews appreciated!

Cheers,

M.D


	4. Semantics of Immortality

Oh how turbulent things had become. Killing dictators and toppling empires were supposed to be bad for business, but now everyone wanted a chance at being king. With all the wannabes came all the contracts and the scum who thought they were meant to be somebody. Blood ran through the street while hypocrisy was splashed across every conceivable media outlet.

Their Den of Shadows crawled with life, whispers filling in the cracks of an aging frame in a decayed building. Yet amongst the shadows and criminals stood a shining resilience of life. A pink hedgehog tucked herself away in a corner, happy to spend her days reading in a candle light so dim it stretched only inches from the wick. Her quills glowed, radiating an unseen energy outwards while a smile pursed her lips.

Johnny took a seat across from her, doing his best to squeeze his tall lanky form into a booth meant for someone smaller.

"Johnny," she mumbled while continuing to mouth words on the page in front of her.

More often than not he loathed Mobians, sometimes even his partner. The creatures' smell was worse than trash-ridden side streets of the Upper East Side while their tiny yet potent minds made them as unpredictable as the animals they so readily resembled.

Fumbling for a cigarette, he balanced the end of the filter in his mouth before responding, "Miss Rose."

With a snap of his fingers he produced enough concentrated light to ignite the tip of the uncovered tobacco. It was party trick of sorts that had taken him years to hone. The power it took to produce enough energy to cause a spark was rather surprising, but with perseverance and motivation came results. Taking a long drag he let the soothing sensation of the nicotine bring a grin to his face before exhaling.

"Those will kill you," she replied sweetly.

This Mobian, he admired, but couldn't place why. Life had chewed her up and spit her out. Yet here she was, alive, with a smile, and as sweet as springtime rose. Her company unlike most others was a welcome reprieve from the desolate deprived life that he now considered normal.

"So I have been told."

It was one of the few luxuries that came with his 'condition'. Immortality, or something that came so close he didn't much care for the semantics. A pack or five a day would harm him as much as breathing the near poisonous air of their sinking city.

Amy threw a smile back at him, and despite being aware of his curse, pity was nowhere to be found in it.

For him, being a Guardian was without a doubt one of the most laughable fates in all of the planet's history, only to be made downright hilarious by being a human. Had The Source messed up? Could it not tell him apart from the shorter fur covered creatures that scampered the globe? What had he done to deserve a duty, up until now, reserved for Mobians?

Guardian's were, by any who knew what they were revered, but not understood. He, like his partner was bound to servitude. In exchange for the choice he never got to make, Johnny received powers most men would envy and a chance to live well past those who doubted him.

She ignored the smoke as he exhaled again, her courtesy proceeding what Johnny often assumed was beauty, "What brings you here today, Miss Rose?"

"The atmosphere," she replied almost instantly in a voice so sincere it couldn't be anything but sarcasm.

The blue hedgehog had paid for her entrance to this place a thousand times over, demanding the Johnnies keep an eye on her. Neither agreed, but nor did they disagree. When she was here, she was safe, and in this city that was a luxury few could afford.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" It was an odd question for him to ask, or at least out of genuine concern rather than economic interest. Amy wasn't a client, she was just another part of his day, one that he found time for even amongst an unexpected rush of business.

"Tell me why it feels like I'm being followed."

It sounded like a command when she spoke so directly, but rather than meet it with impunity Johnny warmed up his grin, all while feeling oddly jealous of a certain blue hedgehog.

"Look around, Miss Rose," he began, "these are not upstanding citizens. Everyone of them would like something from you, and few would bother to ask."

"No," she replied unsatisfied with his answer, "there's something more to it this time."

She was no meek creature, but in a city overrun with those who grew up on hatred, Amy was outnumbered by a good many more powerful than herself. Johnny doubted there was any shortage of Mobians or humans alike for her to fear.

"Have you taken up any new hobbies, Miss Rose? Anything that might grab the attention of those not so savory?"

If there was someone following her, they were doing it discretely, which didn't sound like the typical thug. Perhaps she had managed to get involved with the Resistance in more ways than she already was. Only people with plans played the waiting game.

"What do you mean?" her innocent voice responded.

"Are there any reasons for someone to be interested in you?" Johnny asked now, bluntly.

She paused for a moment, words lingering on the tip of her tongue caught in between her teeth. There of course was the same thing there always had been, the thing she yearned to talk about but couldn't, not even here.

"No," Amy finally replied.

Allies of the Resistance made for great targets in power grabs. Friends, family and lovers were no exception and often time even more valuable when the ransoms came in. By saying nothing about this pink hedgehog, Sonic had said everything. She was important to him. That was valuable information to any concerned enemies of the Resistance. The only question that remained is who was interested.

Johnny leaned back, away from the candle light, dabbing out his cigarette on the table's ashtray. He wanted to chalk this up to an irrational fear, but something told him that she wasn't the type to give into that.

"Miss Rose," the man began before knowing how to continue, "I don't know of anyone who is looking for you. If there is someone looking for you, they're acting on their own, well outside the purview of my information network."

"What should I do?"

Perhaps she had mistaken his gift for the ability to tell the future. Johnny sighed to himself, knowing that advice was not something he sold and seldom provided. He worked in the realm of facts, but the shadow man still wanted to help her.

"Perhaps I could offer some of my services?"

The hedgehog frowned, knowing full well the costs that came with employing either of the Johnnies.

"Free of charge of course," he continued, "your benefactor saw to it that you had ample credit to use with us for just such an occasion."

Setting her book down on the dusty table between them, the hedgehog's eyes glared back into his. Despite their countless conversations she still didn't trust him. Although, who could blame her with a past as rocky as her own.

"I wasn't aware that Guardians were detectives," Amy replied skeptically.

Folding his arms, Johnny did his best not to take her comment personally, "Detection is a result of attention to detail, Miss Rose. Of that I do not lack."

_Perhaps that is why the source chose me?_ He asked himself, contemplating a new angle to a question he often reflected on.

While pondering his proposal she blew out the candle with a sharp exhale, snuffing out the flames existence as easy as he had brought it into the world.

"If you think it will help," came her reply from a now darker side of the table.

Johnny towered over the rose colored hedgehog at his full height, but he offered her his hand all the same. Gently Amy took hold of his fingers while she pulled herself out of the booth.

_Do you think it will help?_ He repeated, but not aloud. The question was only for him. _Certainly it won't hurt._ Johnny let her gather her things, before pacing over to his partner.

The raccoon sat idly at the center of the room, his eyes full of attention waiting for one of their patrons to slipup for even just a moment. The Mobian was on edge, fearing for their business' reputation. After lingering longer than the creature expected, a pair of green orbs finally rose to meet his lackluster brown eyes.

"I'll be escorting Miss Rose home," Johnny began even as his partner's judging gaze narrowed, "she is concerned that someone may be following her."

The raccoon didn't approve oh his unfounded fascination with the pink hedgehog. He was all business and failed to see anything in life beside money and opportunity. Miss Rose was neither of those to him, so he turned a blind eye to both her and her plight. The Johnnies had both seen Sonic's request to keep her safe as narrow minded and shallow, especially considering his relation to the princess. However, Johnny always seemed to find his own reasons to see that she was taken care.

"As you see fit," the grey furred Mobian responded in a disappointed tone, "We have plenty of paying clients that still require attention here."

"If you will recall, we have been contracted to ensure her safety. I wouldn't want our reputation to be questioned."

Protection work was not something they did personally, so fulfilling an obligation to which they would never agree was a mute point. The raccoon nodded him on nonetheless.

Amy was waiting for him outside in much more warmly lit darkness. Street lamps glowed from either end of the alley while the bloom of Capital City's never ending lights reflected off the low flying clouds.

"You're going to walk a girl home look'n like that?" she insinuated playfully, motioning to the ragged four day old suit he was wearing.

The knot in his tie was a good four inches lower than it should have been, while his pocket square was nothing more than wrinkled wad of fabric. A white shirt tail flapped not so elegantly in the breeze as it escaped from beneath his blazer.

He returned the smile with interest, warping the light around him into something more visually appealing. The Source scraped the back of his mind like a rusty rake in retaliation for his show of arrogance, but he had become accustomed to the pain.

"That's better," the pink hedgehog confirmed as she took in his new appearance.

Stretching out his arms, he shuttered at the site of fur on the back of his hands. Wearing a Mobian's skin seemed foreign, disgusting at second thought. However, the only thing that would raise more questions than two Mobians walking through Capital City would be a Human walking hand in hand with one.

"A wolf today," Amy stated rhetorically.

Johnny wore what the occasion called for. The canines were proud fearsome creatures. Few, if any, would stop him in this form. However, the changes were only cosmetic, he was still human… or almost anyway.

Baring a bleach white fang Johnny inquired, "Would you prefer something else?"

The Mobian shook her head, "it suits you. What's the saying? A wolf in sheep's clothing?"

Johnny chuckled in a deeper raspier voice, doing his best to imitate the back country slang of this type of creature, "This is quite the opposite, Miss Rose."

"Is it?" she pondered as they walked. "A Guardian disguised as a Mobian seems quite applicable to me."

He hadn't thought of it like that. Johnny was a wolf, even in wolf's clothing.

As they strolled by a store front, he checked his handy work. Brilliant grey fur with a hint of moonlight was combed to perfection across his brow. A jaw line sharper than his own hung just above the collar of a pressed black t-shirt. Muscles rippled beneath the cotton fabric. The Mobian who stared back at him was a specimen of perfect heath, a far cry from the man who lurked below the surface.

"Miss Rose?" he spoke after seeing a shiver had come over her.

Only another block remained between them and her apartment complex.

"Can't you feel it?"

_I am just a human remember?_ The heightened senses of Mobians left them with a higher degree of awareness. His abilities as a Guardian only afforded him the luxury of misdirecting those around him.

"Feel what, Miss Rose?"

"The eyes," she responded eerily, "someone is watching us."

Johnny would have to take her word for it. He peeled away the shadows of every hiding place, leaving no place for anyone to conceal themselves.

"There is nothing to fear, Miss Rose. No one is there."

Her paw latched around his and she pulled herself tight up against his side. This felt familiar to him, it scratched at all the memories the source had erased. Johnny could feel her fear, and with it the need to calm her the way one might a child.

The hedgehog stopped him before Johnny could step onto the landing, "We need to use the back."

"Of course," he replied.

Her apartment wasn't exactly on the map, so it wasn't surprising it was tucked away in nook of some back alley.

"Thanks, Johnny," Amy said softly, her eyes gazing up into his.

"It's my job, Miss Rose."

"No it's not," she giggled, "even I know that."

Knowing that she knew, he wondered who he was trying to impress. _Myself?_ His desire to help was instinctual for some reason, well outside self control.

"Consider it a favor for the only person who visits the Den without wanting something for themselves."

With the twist of a set of keys, the man was through the dead bolt in no time. Her flat was dark, and before Amy could find the light switch someone was pointing a gun at his head. To anyone but another guardian, Johnny looked like bad news.

"Hey pal, just what do you think you're doing?"

_He thinks I am a wolf,_ Johnny sighed to himself. _No one likes a little competition. _

"Relax, Sonic," the pink hedgehog pleaded, "it's just Johnny."

As his disguise evaporated, the man watched the Freedom Fighter's expression of awe.

"Safe and sound," Johnny mumbled to the two of them.

"Geeze Johnny, you scared me half to death," the blue quilled Mobian said in a relieved voice. "What'ca doin all the way over here?"

"I believe you asked us to keep an eye on Miss Rose," the man replied, still wary of the weapon wielding Resistance Fighter. "I wouldn't want to lose her again."

"Again?" the two hedgehogs asked in unison.

Johnny paused for a moment, trying to keep a look of confusion at bay. _Again?_ W_ho have I lost in the past? Certainly not Amy__._

"Forgive me, I misspoke."

Sonic nodded, "Appreciate it Johnny, but I got it from here."

"Of course. I'll be on my way."

Johnny shut the door behind him, returning to the darkness from which he came. A thick muggy air was there to greet the man when he made his way back into the alley. This part of town was quiet, even for the late hour. An odd feeling pricked at a sense he seldom listened to. _Who's there,_ he almost called out.

A bottle clanked across the concrete as a large figure stepped between him and the street.

"You," Johnny snorted in surprise as he rummaged through his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

"Me," came the response.

"You're supposed to be dead," the Guardian responded as he pulled out one of the tobacco filled sticks with his lips.

The shadowy figure cackled a little, "says who?"

With a snap of his fingers, Johnny ignited his cigarette, watching the orange glow travel toward him with a deep inhale.

"What are you going to do Julian? I am not letting you near her, and it's not like you can kill a Guardian…" but his thoughts stopped there as the world turned the blackest shade of black.

* * *

I haven't had this much fun writing a chapter in a long time. I put as much effort and polish into this chapter as I could, so hopefully it's enjoyable. I welcome any feedback positive or negative. The direction of this story isn't set in stone yet, so if you like or dislike something let me know so I can adapt.

How are the more supernatural elements? Enjoyable? How are the added OCs? Annoying or interesting? Was anything too vague? Did anything not make sense? Do you have questions in general? Thanks again everyone!

Cheers,

M.D


	5. Tails

Without all the stress of having to remain hidden, the urge to stick his head out the window and let his fur blow in the wind was unrelenting. Instincts new and old were no longer limited by Kintobor's rule and the kit was free to do as he wished. Lapping up air as he drove Tails closed his eyes momentarily, savoring the bliss.

Even more irresistible was the temptation to hum along to the tune he was following. The song flowed elegantly from the car in front of him.

Since he had met her, the vixen had lackadaisically sung it when her paws her idle. Fiona had dubbed it the anthem to Capital city, it's unmistakable duet a fairytale for anyone willing to believe.

* * *

_Now Playing:_ Find You _By_: Zedd

Lyrics used below are not mine.

* * *

"Make them dance, just like you," he finally relented, muttering along beneath his breath.

_No one can dance like you, Fiona, _he thought in retrospect.

"Your singing it aren't you?" she asked over the radio.

"No," he insisted.

But she pressed the point by picking up where he left off, "I'll run away with your foot steps. I'll build a city that dreams for two."

A city built at their feet, just for them. It was a wonderful fantasy to say the least; if only it were that easy. Everyone wanted to rule, but no one ever made room in their dreams for another. How quickly selflessness could turn to selfishness with the attainment of absolute power.

"And if you lose yourself, I will find you," the kit continued, giving into what she wanted.

"That's if you can find me," a warming laugh replied.

Like that Fiona was gone from sight, swerving around a corner under the tear of rubber meeting road.

Tails pressed his boot hard into the warn plastic of the gas pedal and the big block V8 in front of him roared to life, belting out a deep growl that slowly rose in pitch. Pavement was sucked beneath the hood of his vehicle, fueling its hungry appetite for speed and recklessness.

With so little of what constituted a normal life to reflect on, the foxes had no idea what to do with boundless freedom. Living outside of the shadow of the Dominion had always just been a fantasy, and by comparison to underneath it, boring.

It was an older model copper cruiser with nearly bald tires, nothing like the car Fiona was in. Her stolen coupe was from one of the local gangs, its high revving turbocharged four cylinder engine obnoxiously droning on through a modified exhaust. The rumble of their approach was preceded by a symphony of echoes amidst the high-rise buildings followed by screeching tires and two blurs.

Vacation had grown old. Doing nothing had felt too much like doing nothing. There was no reward, no excitement, only the painful realization that everything he had worked for in his life had been accomplished. Kinotbor was dead and with no looming goals besides tracking down Colin, there wasn't much to look forward to.

Fiona dipped and weaved through traffic better than most cabbies. However, even with the faster car it wasn't hard for the two-tailed fox to keep up. With the lights on, traffic readily moved out of his way for what no doubt appeared to the average by stander as a high speed pursuit.

In reality, it was nothing more than a game. The foxes' fascination with playing cops and robbers had not diminished even when it was no longer required. By now, it had been written into their DNA to chase the other, if not for love then the thrill. However, for the sake of amusement they had decided to switch sides.

Memories streaked by as their chase ran deeper into the city. Like her, the kit had spent enough of his life in this awful place to know it better than most. He still couldn't be sure if its dreadful appearance and personality ran all the way to its core, or if underneath there was truly something enigmatic and alluring.

This city was full of places to hide, especially for someone as uncharacteristic as Colin. The long nosed man had always operated in the vast silhouette of his uncle, invisible to the world. Even now there wasn't the slightest mention of his name, only Ixis'. Finding an enigma, especially one privy to all of Kintobor's resources would be difficult.

Fiona had reminded him more than once that the short nephew of her former boss was strangely intelligent, which meant he was more than likely hold up in Dominion HQ. Nothing about ridding the world of a Kintobor had been easy and Colin was proving to be no exception. Unsurprisingly, chasing invisible men was hardly as rewarding as chasing each other.

Tails could hear the backfire of her car as she kicked it into a lower gear before veering into a bus lane. With an abundance of space Fiona took off down the straightaway. Smashing his paw into the soft spot at the center of the wheel, the kit gave the morning commuters an earful of horn, all but commanding they move out of his way.

At almost a block ahead his chase was beginning to look bleak until the one of Capital City's trollies pulled into the vixen's lane, effectively blocking her in. Slowing down was her only choice, even as the kit closed the distance.

"Got you now," the kit said to himself as he moved into pit the vixen's car.

Before he could nudge her off course, Fiona leaned her car into a turn that took her down an alley and out of sight. Tails sighed to himself as he passed the side street and slowed his car; there was no way the scrap heap he was driving would corner half as well. He would have to go around the block to pick her up again.

It was her home, she had made it plain and simple. Capital City was not something Fiona could leave behind even if it was the source of every painful moment in her life. This was her playground, and he was happy to share it with her.

Turning down the next one-way, Tails rolled slowly along the confined corridor, breaking when another car turned in on the opposite end. The kit flashed the siren, hoping it would scare the oncoming car, but the mystery vehicle made no signs of stopping.

When he checked his rear-view mirror there was another all black sedan, its headlights pinned on him in the shadows of the brick facades. The two-tailed fox sighed to himself, "what now?"

Someone had been following them. Any semblance of Julian's forces had long disappeared, replaced instead by the cronies that ran the underworld of Ixis' empire. The jet-black monikerless vehicles had all the makings of trouble.

The suits that got only confirmed it. Pin stripes ran down their hand-spun fabric, lending themselves nicely to the men's greased back hair and sharp jaw lines. Flipping a coin in the air, one of them approached.

_You again,_ the kit sighed silently.

"Mr. Prower he called out," with a smug face, "I do believe you are a little outside of your jurisdiction."

An eerie sense of alarm passed over him.

Rolling down the window, the kit called out, "You know it's against the law to interfere with police business."

The suit smiled, enjoying the joke.

Even with the cruiser's push bar, there was no going through a parked vehicle. Tails gritted his teeth as he relished in his unusual predicament. He was stuck, and the two-tailed fox could only hope that his new friends wanted to play nice. Reaching for anything that resembled a weapon was suicide.

"Can I help you?" the kit finally asked.

The smirk on the man's face grew steeper, "Heads or tails?"

"Is that even a question?"

"Right," he chuckled before letting his coin land in the palm of his hand. "Look at that, tails, you're a winner."

"And the prize?"

"Boss has been looking for you."

"Funny, I've been looking for him," the two-tailed fox lied.

_What's he still doing alive? Sonic was supposed to have taken care of him by now._

The man nodded to the car behind him, indicating that the Freedom Fighter should join. Reluctantly, Tails killed the engine in his stolen cruiser and stepped out to follow the crook.

No doubt on queue, a limo pulled in behind the black sedan. Ixis was accustomed to traveling in both style and comfort.

"I am going to need that," the pretty man said, nodding at the kit's holster.

Rather than put on a show, the kit found the clasp on his belt and handed the mobster every weapon and tool he had. Tails wanted to get this over with; he knew the drill after all.

Climbing into the darkness that smelled of shoe polish and whisky, the two-tailed fox eyed the crime lord cautiously. Fiona had warned them that when you put Naugus in your sites, you could expect him to return the favor.

"It's been a while," Tails said jokingly when the door was shut behind him.

"Not long enough," came his gruff voice.

"I suppose there's a reason for this," the kit suggested.

"More than one," the aging man responded before leaning in to get a better look at the fox. "When I got you out of this city alive, it was under the promise I wouldn't be seeing any more of you in person. This is my city now."

"You found me," the Mobian insisted.

"We both know it was only a matter of time before that changed."

"And is now the part where you ask me for help?"

The look on the man's face told the kit he was rather insulted by the words. "I don't need any help," Ixis spat.

"How exactly did you manage to let Collin cuff you? And who exactly is calling the shots anyway?"

"You've worn out your welcome, Mr. Prower."

The limo leaned to the side for a moment as something landed on top of it and rolled off the roof. Tails peeked out the heavily tinted window but there was nothing to be seen, only heard. The crunchy sound of bone under cartilage, a soft grunt or two, and a feint growl all echoed through the alley.

A worried look rose on Naugus' face as he tapped on the divider between him and his driver, nodding to one of the invisible men to check on things. Upon exiting the vehicle the man almost instantly disappeared, knocked to the ground by something out of sight.

Tails leaned back in the plush leather lined chair waiting for his door to open. In just a matter of seconds, the old man was outnumbered two to one by foxes and more so by tails.

"There you are," Fiona smiled as she settled into the spot next to Tails, dropping his holster in his lap. "I think you might have lost this."

Ixis sighed, "Incompetence surrounds me."

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?" the vixen said playfully before reaching anxiously for the spot where her collar used to be.

The nervous tick had never left her. Fiona had always reached for the collar to remind herself of her limits, of her owner. Now, without it, she wasn't sure how scared to be. Her tug on the nonexistent neckwear turned into a halfhearted scratch when her eyes met Miles'.

"Regretfully, yes," the mumbling man replied, "Inseparable are you now?"

The two vulpine shrugged in unison, reluctant to admit something they both knew to be true.

"What are you doing in Capital City?"

"Reminiscing," the red fox insisted.

"Nothing good ever follows the two of you."

"Sally wants you out of the way," Tails said bluntly.

"Does she?" the man raised an eyebrow curiously.

"She doesn't think you're acting of your own accord," Fiona continued.

"You mean these?" Ixis answered, flashing the bland metallic cuffs. "I'm playing that monkey's little game long enough to get out of them, and when I do I plan on strangling Colin with my own bare hands."

"What did you want with us?" Tails couldn't help but ask, all while noticing Fiona reach again for the bare spot on her neck.

"I already told you, this is my city and I don't either of you mucking it up. The two of you run around executing the first orders barked in your direction. There is more than one side to every story."

"Oh?" Fiona chuckled, "You mean like how you paid to relocate and hide my parent's killer? Or that you put your wife up to spying on Kintobor and got her killed?"

With a bewildered look, Naugus leaned back in a subtle admission.

"Those stories all sound better without the other side, don't they?" the vixen pressed. "So please, tell us what's so good about the other side of this one."

"Think you're something special now don't you?" the man said with disdain. "I made you! Without me you would be some dead little girl or one of Kinotbor's failed science experiments."

The vixen smiled riley in return as if to ask, "Is that all?"

"You're just another stupid bitch. I should have known better than to assume you would bother listening to any of my advice. Instead what do you do? Run off with the first fox you meet and then sign up as Julian's patsy. Since you came into this world, you have never been anything more than a pet; me, Julian, and now you're his," Ixis growled as he pointed at the two-tailed fox sitting next to her.

The aging man never saw it coming. Bone and cartilage broke beneath the fox's fist. Tails had moved at lightning speed across the small expanse that separated the seats in Naugus' limo.

Stepping backward, away from the crime lord, Tails shook out his paw, frantically trying to dull the pain in his knuckles while Ixis held a bleeding nose to the sky.

"I was wrong," Naugus gargled through the blood, "you're both pets and too whipped to even know it. There's more to all of this then either of you know."

"We're still waiting for you to share," Tails replied gruffly.

"Haven't you ever wondered how you have a foothold as strong as you do in this city? Who goes about purchasing property and businesses on your behalf?"

"So you're the one on the other end of the computer?" Tails said nearly dumbfounded.

"What's he talking about Miles?" the vixen whispered in his ear.

When Sally wasn't busy barking out orders, she was sitting at her terminal conversing with some very shady types. The types that had the means hide their identities from prying eyes. Tails had tried countless times to intercept the squirrel's communications, but no amount of tech savvy-ness would let him through Nicole's encryption.

After the princess had spent so much time for condemning Fiona for working with Naugus, here she was making deals with him left and right.

_And to what end?_

"When the Resistance wants something in this city, they come to me, Fiona. My prices may be steep, but I always deliver."

"You're just after the Acorn's deep pockets," Tails rolled his eyes.

"Of course. But I don't always trade in currency. You wouldn't believe how cheaply I was able to get your whereabouts whenever I wanted," the man laughed as he glanced at the Freedom Fighter. "Your life, Mr. Prower, a top tier Resistance fighter, cost me next to nothing."

"It was you!" Fiona said in a moment of clarity. "All those years, those little clues, the post cards, the flowers, the phone calls, you wanted me to find him."

Ixis' smile grew, "Of course, and you always did."

"Why?" the kit demanded.

"Like you care," the man smiled contently. "Besides, I have it on good authority you enjoyed yourself."

Fiona's growing sneer was eroded by a blush, "Julian knew?"

Ixis nodded, "He wanted to keep tabs on your two-tailed friend. And what better way to do that than hold on to what he holds most dear. He used you Fiona, but I think you already knew that."

"But why would he…"

"Let the two of you live?" Ixis finished her question for her. "Julian always had a habit of thinking he was smarter than he actually was."

Tails looked over as Fiona closed her eyes and shook her head in shame. His paw instinctively found her shoulder, but the vixen pulled away.

"It's all been a game," she muttered under breath. "He played me all that time, let me think our relationship was secret just so he could try and get his hands on the inhibitor."

"He used you," Ixis repeated, still holding his nose between his fingers, "just like he uses everyone, just like I use everyone. Why are you acting so surprised? Did you think you were special? It's because he let you think you were special!"

"What was I worth?" the kit finally spoke, "What was so valuable to Sally that she would give me up?"

"The same thing that I promised Julian," Ixis laughed painfully, "the inhibitor, which if I am not mistaken she, just like Julian, had in her possession for quite some time."

Tails bore a fang, trying to suppress his frustration, but he wasn't fooling anyone. They had both been used, betrayed even.

"You two really are perfect for each other," Naugus smiled. "Now get the hell out of my car."

Neither of them felt like disagreeing with him, even if they had him outnumbered and on the run. Fiona reached for the handle and Tails followed the bristles of her crimson tail into the thickening morning air.

"Why is he still alive?" Fiona asked when they were alone, timidness riddling her voice.

She knew as well as anyone Ixis wasn't a man to cross, even when it appeared you had the advantage.

"The better questions," Tails began as they strolled down the cluttered alley, "if Naugus is alive, then what happened to Sonic?"

"We could have…" the vixen began before looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, but her two-tailed partner waved her off.

"Ixis could have Sonic and killing him won't help get my friend back."

* * *

Who wants more action? Or would you prefer Drama? The field is wide open for either now that all of these chapters are in place. Let me know what you think and what you would like to see more of.

Cheers,

M.D


	6. In Plain Sight

The darkness stank of stale air and despair. Tiptoeing behind the kit as they approached the entrance, Fiona came to a full stop at a threshold she had crossed only once before.

_Why here, Tails?_

Looking over his shoulder, Miles noticed her reluctance to proceed, "What's wrong?" he asked never having appreciated just how close she had come to dying the last time she let someone talk her into descending in the Den of Shadows.

"I'll just wait outside," the vixen responded, doing her best to sound calm and collected.

"Come on," he insisted, "I just want to ask around and see if anyone has seen Sonic. And if you want I can introduce you to the Johnnies."

"Yeah…" she replied reluctantly before taking a step into the darkness, "sure. Why not?"

_They'll kill me,_ she reminded herself but was still too ashamed to admit it aloud.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, "I'm fine."

The floorboards creaked eerily under the addition of their weight, bowing gently as their boots clapped softly against the wooden surface. It was as bleak and lightless as she remembered. Even with her superb vision, only varying shades of grey presented themselves, behind which, anyone could be hiding.

"Mr. Prower," a pair of green eyes called out tepidly.

If she didn't know better the person sounded anxious.

"Johnny," the kit replied quietly, approaching a booth in the corner.

Reluctantly she followed, pressing her shoulder tight against his, fearful of whom else might be lurking in the shadows.

When they were seated across from him, Jonny spoke again, this time in surprise, "You brought her?"

The mysterious creature's eyes traced hers before leaning into an invisible light. An aging raccoon emerged, his better years behind him. The black furred rings around his eyes well past the size they ought to be with flecks of grey woven throughout.

"What do you mean?" the kit asked in surprise, "have you met already?"

Shaking his head, Johnny turned his attention back to the two-tailed fox, "She's on our naughty list."

_Of course I am…_

Miles smirked, "That's not too surprising."

"It might be if you knew why," the Mobian sighed before turning his gaze back to her.

Bashfully, she looked away, struggling to find anything but blackness to focus on.

"Hey, where's Johnny?" Miles asked noticing the lack of what she presumed was another Johnny.

With his fingers in a steeple, the Mobian was reluctant to reply, "On a crusade of sorts."

"A crusade?" the two-tailed fox chuckled. "For what?"

"That's the question indeed."

Fiona would have been more concerned with what they were talking about if she wasn't so scared. It was the echidna, the same one who had nearly killed both her and partner four years ago. He sat at the bar, arms folded, eyes locked with her.

"Miles, sweetie," the vixen interrupted whispering, "he won't stop looking at me."

When the kit turned to follower her eyes, they fell upon a shadow an even deeper shade of red than her own. The Mobian's gaze was fixated upon Fiona, seemingly unable to be broken.

"Hey Knuckles," the kit waved, unconcerned by her state of alarm.

The Echidna's demeanor remained unchanged. Fiona had tried so hard to go unnoticed, but now it seemed that everyone in the room was watching her. Unsure of what to do, she sunk lower into the booth, hiding as best she could in its depths.

"Ohhh," Miles said aloud in realization, "That naughty list."

"Yes," Knuckles replied, "that one."

The kit looked stunned, almost as if he had never heard the guardian speak before. His booming voice was impressive, easily capable of standing fur on end.

"What can I do?" Miles asked with no hesitation.

"It's funny you ask," Johnny replied. "As it turns out we are in need of some assistance. A most unusual circumstance I assure you."

"Anything you need."

"My partner," Johnny began until the echidna cleared his throat. "Our partner, as I previously mentioned, has gone missing. Given our – how should I say this – Restrictions, we need someone whom we trust to track him down before things get out of hand."

_What restrictions?_

"If you help us, Fiona," Knuckles added, "I might be willing to look the other way… even after what you did."

"I didn't meant to," the vixen began, but the Raccoon's paw found her muzzle clamping it shut.

"You have no idea what you nearly did," he roared, "and it's the only reason you're still breathing."

As his grip tightened, Fiona glanced over at her partner hoping for some display of concern. There was none to be found. Tails sat there watching as if he didn't even know her. She knew they were guardians, but had hoped for some compassion.

_Don't let me down again, Miles. _

"That and him," Johnny said pointing at the two-tailed fox next to her.

Her breaths quickened when he finally released her, but she was resolute in remaining fearless. She had spent the early part of her life tracking people down for a living. If continued existence hinged on finding another, the vixen was feeling good about her chances.

"Can you tell us anymore about Johnny?" she asked as if nothing had happened, now somewhat intrigued with the notion of tracking down a guardian. "When you last saw him, what he was doing, why he might have left?"

"We could," the raccoon answered, "but were not sure how important that is to finding him. We would rather a fresh set of eyes look at this from the beginning without being tainted by our rather diverse opinions on the subject."

"And where is the beginning?"

The barstool lurched as the echidna lowered himself to the ground. Slamming his shimmering fist onto the table in front of her he presented a small scrap of paper. Fiona stood no chance of reading it inside the depths of the den, but she could only assume that was the point.

"Find him," Knuckles demanded before fading from sight in a way she thought not possible.

"Now then, Mr. Prower. Was there something you needed?" Johnny asked, forcing Fiona to bring her attention back to those at the table in front of her.

"It can wait," he replied as he began to push the vixen out of the booth. "I wouldn't want to keep you or Knuckles."

The raccoon nodded, "he may be thickheaded at times, but Johnny is a friend and we need him back."

_It looks like everyone has had a friend go missing lately. _

"So," Miles began when they exited the Den.

"So, you just sat there and watched while Johnny held my mouth shut like I was a pup."

"Fiona, they're guardians…"

"Don't you think I know that!" she barked back, frustrated.

"Even if I wanted to there's nothing I could do. You can't kill a guardian and trying will land you on the very same list you're on at the moment. The best thing you can do is not provoke them. They're not allowed to do anything to you unless you do something to them, which makes me wonder what you did to piss them off?"

"It was Jake's doing," she sighed.

"Well that's not surprising," the kit rolled his eyes.

If she didn't know better there was jealousy hidden in them. After all she had spent nearly four years working together with the overgrown Dominion agent while he watched from a distant sideline.

"He broke some rules and I got his ass out of trouble just like always."

"Huh," Tails began to scratch his head, "that doesn't sound that bad."

"When Knuckles was about to turn him into his new punching bag, I pulled the pin on a flashbang and we ran," she added reluctantly, hoping that detail wouldn't matter.

"Oh."

"What's the big deal? What are they protecting?" she asked.

"I wish I knew. It's the secret the guardians guard. And I am sure you noticed they don't exactly welcome light down there. You may as well have set off a bomb."

"So now they want to kill me?"

"It's not exactly them I don't think. Guardians don't just kill people because they can... well generally not anyway."

"Then who?"

"That's a little harder to explain."

Fiona exhaled deeply as she unfolded the paper, trying to pretend she didn't care about Tails' obvious attempts at avoiding the subject.

"It's an address," she piped up in surprise, "just a few blocks from here too."

"Anything you recognize?"

"Maybe when I see it," the vixen replied as she picked up the pace. "But I still don't understand what do they need us for? Why they can't find Johnny themselves… I mean their Guardians."

"Which is why they can't. They need to stand guard. I haven't ever seen one of them more than a couple of blocks from the den and certainly for never more than an hour or two."

"Oh…" Fiona said realizing how odd it must be for one of them to go missing, "then Johnny going AWOL is a pretty big deal."

The kit nodded as they rounded a corner.

The building listed on Knuckles' note was nothing out of the ordinary. A small run town red bricked townhome smashed against another. Miles took a few steps up the porch to peer into the dimly lit window.

"Are you sure this is it?" he asked softly.

Checking the note again, she nodded her head. A family of humans sat around the television, staring mindlessly into its glow. This didn't make any sense.

_What would a Guardian be doing here?_

"Lets have a look around back."

_This looks more promising._

Cans littered the alleyway while trash bags were heaped to either side. It was not an attractive place, but that made it all the more interesting to check out.

"Look," she said softly kneeling down to a patch of dried blood. "Who's do you think this is?"

"Could be anyone's," the kit replied strolling past her in favor of the door at the end of the tiny dead end street.

"Huh, it's empty," he said with surprise after walking through the unlocked door.

"Were you expecting someone?"

The kit shrugged before moving towards a desk, thumbing through the loose papers.

"It belongs to an Amy Rose."

"Never heard of her."

Fiona had spent years doing Kintbor's dirty work. If Amy was an important Mobian in this city, then she would have known about her.

"She's got a diary over here," Tails mentioned as he took a seat at the small bureau.

"And you're just going to read it aren't you?" the vixen asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

Atop a dresser on the far side of the room sat a picture of a hedgehog. It was not however, the one that had nearly killed her. This Mobian had a pink hue to her quills and was dressed up with the softest of smiles.

"Does it say anything about Sonic?" Fiona turned towards her partner.

"What happened to not reading it?" Miles mocked her before turning another page.

"This did," she replied, setting the frame down gently next to him.

"So, she's a hedgehog, there's plenty of them. What makes you think she knows Sonic?"

"She's a Mobian I've never heard of living in Capital City in an apartment that is nearly impossible to find. That takes resources and credits, a lot of them, the type of stuff the Resistance has access too."

"Or a guardian. You might be over thinking this a bit, we've only been here two minutes."

"Miles sweetie, I hunted people, including you, down for years. This is all second nature to me. He was hiding her. That's a fact. Maybe she's family, maybe she's a Resistance operative, or…" Fiona stopped when the answer hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Or...?"

She wasn't sure how to say how else to say it, "his girlfriend."

"But he and Sally are…" the two-tailed fox attempted to explain before she cut him off.

"Are what exactly? I have only ever heard them yell at each other."

The kit's eyes burned into hers, trying to find the hate in her words. However, this wasn't out of any spite she harbored for the Mobian, this was deduction and Tails didn't want to follow the trail of breadcrumbs.

"Yeah but they're always like that."

"And?"

"And that's not nearly enough evidence to accuse him of something like this. Besides, we're not even looking for Sonic, we're looking for Johnny."

"Just read through her stupid diary," Fiona rolled her eyes, "I'll keep looking for something else."

The rest of the apartment was near bare. Hardly anything of value anywhere, but when you lived in a neighborhood like this that wasn't surprising. Falling to her knees, the vixen resorted to searching under the bed. A dark mush of cloth was pushed up against the wall.

"Hey," Tails said with some excitement, "I might have found something here."

"Just a second," she replied, pushing herself further into the dust filled cavern.

"She mentions both the Jonny's a couple times in here. It's about how she doesn't trust one and the other seems to keep an oddly close eye on her."

"So?" she felt the need to ask in revenge.

"So maybe Johnny had a thing for her."

"And you called my theories ridiculous," Fiona laughed from under the bed as she finally grabbed hold of what felt like a backpack.

"According to this, he would always talk with her at the den and even walked her home a couple of times."

Ignoring the two-tailed fox she plopped herself down on the hedgehog's bed looking for the buckles to the canvas pack.

"Do you think he took her somewhere?" he asked turning around in his chair to face her.

Opening the bag she began rummaging through its contents, "beats me, it's your theory."

"Well do you have any that don't involve Sonic?"

The vixen's paw stumbled on something cold and metallic hidden beneath a layer of clothes. The sheer weight of it made it feel valuable, while the texture implied it might be foreign.

"Well, how about this thing?" Fiona suggested hoisting the mysterious object into the air, "it looks kind of important. Maybe Johnny came here for it?"

The kit nearly fell of his chair, "Where did you get that?"

"It was in this bag under the bed. Why? What is it?" she asked twirling the large ring around her finger.

It wasn't anything pretty to look at. On the contrary, it was wrapped in tiny dull golden wires that were so thin they could have been thread. Yet the device was solid as steel and seemed to hum in her hand.

"It's a power ring," Tails said still in disbelief.

"A power ring?"

"It's Sonics," he conceded, "he's the only person in this whole city who might have one."

There was no force on earth to stop a smile from creeping up all the way to the bottom of her ears.

"What do these things do?"

"They're kind of like batteries, except for Mobians," the kit explained, "and not everyone can use them."

"Let me guess, Sonic can?"

Tails nodded, "You know how fast he is right? With one of those…"

"What about me then? Would it make me faster?"

"Maybe, but probably not. Sonic is good at running fast, so it lets him run even faster."

"Then what about you? What does it do for you?" she asked assuming he was among those who could use them.

Miles shrugged his shoulders, "Haven't ever gotten one to work for me. I can feel the energy, but I can't seem to tap into it."

"You mean the pulse? The ring feels like it's alive."

The kit smiled, "You can feel it? Sally can't… she would be pissed to no end if she found out."

Fiona continued to spin the ring around her finger, wondering just how rare the gift was. If only a handful of Mobians could feel the energy and fewer still could use it, discovering the ring was feeling less and less like an accident and more like fate.

"I get the feeling this isn't some type of fluke?"

"I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. Sonic was here, and so was Johnny and now they're both missing."

"What makes you so certain Johnny was?"

Holding out the open diary he pointed to the uncharacteristically neat handwriting, "Because she mentions how he helped her look for the person following her at night… It's dated three days ago," the kit sighed.

"If there was someone following her," Fiona began, "who could possibly take on both Sonic and a Guardian?"

Well placed irony was growing old for the vixen. Instead of the kit's voice she heard a man's, "Yes sir, we left the apartment untouched just as you requested. Everything's z'actly how we found it."

Tails had already moved next to the door, pistol in hand.

"Good," a squeaky accent followed, "the last thing I need is one of you gorillas messing anything up."

Fiona's jaw dropped. She recognized this one having heard far more times than she would have liked. _What's he doing here?_

"Colin," she whispered as softly as she could. "That's Colin Kintobor."

Tails' eyes widened as his posture stiffened.

When doors opened there was supposed to be opportunity on the other side, but in this case it was nothing more than potential death. Fiona watched, ring in hand, as a shocked agent raised his weapon shouting, "Don't move!"

She caught the ring mid twirl and froze, looking near hopelessly at the four agents that had forced their way into the room. It was hard to believe they walked right past Miles, but the two-tailed fox had a thing for the shadows. It was often hard to tell where his fur ended and the darkness began.

Snively pushed the armored men aside as he made his way to the front, carelessly unaware as the rest to the danger lurking behind them.

"What do we have here?"

Fiona smiled softly, "Hello Colin."

"Fiona," his grin grew, "it's so nice to see you again."

Her lack of response was meant to convey her disagreement, but the man pressed on, just as he always did.

"Do you live here with her? Is the Freedom Fighter's little whore house?"

"You must mean Amy," Fiona replied as she pushed herself off the bed. "This is her place… I prefer something with a little more style myself."

Every agent was on their toes, following her with their sites, fingers itching to pull the trigger.

"I'm sure we can find something to your tastes," he cackled.

"I didn't train any of you did I?" Fiona looked all the agents up and down.

All of them looked to Snively hoping he would respond in their steed.

"Didn't think so," she continued when no when said anything. "It's a shame really."

"What are you yapping about?" the short man demanded.

"Do they know who I am?" she laughed.

"Your Kintobor's old pet," one of them piped up, "we know all about you."

"Obviously none of you are familiar with my most known associate," the vixen retorted before dropping the ring to the floor.

"Nice try Fiona," Colin laughed as he watched it roll across the room from the corner of his eye, "but I am not falling for one of your little distractions."

It wasn't until it hit the wall did everyone see whom else was in the room with them. Kneeling down the two-tailed fox picked up the Power Ring, but before anyone could react the kit flickered out of existence leaving them all stunned and scrambling.

Had she not seen Knuckles disappear in a similar fashion earlier that night she might have gasped. Given the kit's present ability to disappear when no one was looking, it wasn't surprising to see him do it when they were. He hadn't lied about the Power Ring.

Every Dominion agents was the same, their first answer to any potential problem was bullets. Plugging her ears, the vixen watched as they senselessly emptied their weapons into nothing hoping to hit something they couldn't see. Holes filled the wall as it splintered and crumbled.

"Stop you idiots!" Colin screamed cowering into a ball, but no one was likely to hear over him over the roar gunfire.

When the last of the brass clattered to the floor, Fiona removed her paws from her ears. Now it was their turn. With his back to her, the first agent never saw the vixen coming.

Collapsing the back of his knee, she spared no force in her kick. Relieving him of his riffle, Fiona spun it round in her hands before smashing it across the side of his face. Helmet or not, it was enough to send him in search of consciousness on the oak floor.

When she turned to take on her next enemy, the vixen found an incoming fist. Closing her eyes she prepared for a blow that never came. After a moment of stillness she managed to build of the courage to peek out from behind her eyelids. Miles was holding back a punch that might have knocked her out cold.

Grabbing hold of the agents helmet, she ripped it off and flung it across the room. Before she could do more however, the man was able to overcome the kit's grasp and push him backwards. Diving forward the agent managed to tackle nothing but air as Tails vanished from sight like spotty TV channel.

Fiona was there to greet him when he stood up. The pain in her knuckles spouted up quickly, but not before the agent stumbled backwards into the waiting roundhouse kick of her two-tailed partner.

The last agent standing was fumbling madly to align a magazine with his weapon's receiver, shaking even more feverishly as the vulpine approached.

Before he could manage to cock the weapon, Fiona slapped it out of his hand, smiling her wry smile. Sinking their fists into the man's galvanized armor wasn't an option, but bending every limb he had to its breaking point was.

Swinging wildly the ill tempered Dominion agent attempted to fight back, but he was only met with more pain when his own attacks were turned against him. Jabs were swatted aside while the foxes took turns breaking furniture over his head.

Growing bored of their one-sided tag-team wrestling match; the vixen's paws finally stumbled across a cast iron kettle, which she promptly tossed to her partner. Given his previous experience in wielding kitchenware as a weapon she had little doubt he would know what to do with it. The dull thud produced when the pot collided with the agent's helmet nearly gave her a headache.

Breathing heavily she looked around the room as the last agent crumbled to the floor. Most Dominion agents were in a cognitive state only bordering on consciousness, while another rest in a pool of crimson liquid, blood pouring out of the deep gashes in his armor.

Fiona could see blood dripping from the blackened steel blade in the kit's holster. A blade was every bit as dangerous as a gun when no one could see you.

"Figure out what it does?" she asked rhetorically.

Miles nodded as he approached the only remaining human, "I always was good at hiding. This makes it even easier," he replied tossing the ring back to her.

Yanking Snively up to his depressing height by the collar of his newly pressed shirt, Tails stared him in the eyes, "What do we have here?"

* * *

I will try to get the next chapter up this week to make up for my slowness in posting this one. I have it about 90% done. I am doing my best to work more action into everything. Feedback welcomed and appreciated.

Cheers,

M.D


	7. Roses are Red

I don't like putting notes at the beginning of chapters, but I feel like it would be best for this one. Because I have been taking so long to do updates, the beginning of this chapter might be confusing as far as how it ties in to the story. It would be less confusing, or at least so I hope, if you could read this like a book one chapter after another without weeks in-between each. So rather than say what's going on I am just going to post the last couple paragraphs of chapter 5 so that you get the flow I intended...

* * *

End of Chapter 5

* * *

Johnny shut the door behind him, returning to the darkness from which he came. A thick muggy air was there to greet the man when he made his way back into the alley. This part of town was quiet, even for the late hour. An odd feeling pricked at a sense he seldom listened to. _Who's there,_ he almost called out.

A bottle clanked across the concrete as a large figure stepped between him and the street.

"You," Johnny snorted in surprise as he rummaged through his pockets for a pack of cigarettes.

"Me," came the response.

"You're supposed to be dead," the Guardian responded as he pulled out one of the tobacco filled sticks with his lips.

The shadowy figure cackled a little, "says who?"

With a snap of his fingers, Johnny ignited his cigarette, watching the orange glow travel toward him with a deep inhale.

"What are you going to do Julian? I am not letting you near her, and it's not like you can kill a Guardian…" but his thoughts stopped there as the world turned the blackest shade of black.

* * *

Chapter 7 - Roses are Red

* * *

"Daddy?" a voice shouted at him.

_What now? _

He shuttered the thought of having to wake up, even for her. A tiny pair of hands pushed him side to side, rousing him from a deep sleep. Even if she didn't mean to be, Rose was the gentlest creature on earth.

"What is it Rose? What's wrong?" Johnny asked delicately, eyes still closed.

"Let's go! You promised!"

The long hours on the night shift left him feeling ragged, but it was the only way he could be there for her.

"What time is it?" He managed in a muted voice only the ears of a five year old could understand.

"Everyone is already lining up, daddy, I don't want to miss it."

_The parade, _Johnny finally realized, _she wants to go see the parade._

The whole town would be there, even the town's newest migrants, the Mobians. A holiday such as this wouldn't be missed by anyone.

"Alright, alright," he stifled through a yawn before the girl began to tug at his arm relentlessly.

It was an agonizing fifteen minutes chalk full of pining and wining before Johnny was able to get dressed and find his way out the door of his rundown apartment. Thankfully however, their journey would be short. He had managed to find a place just far enough from downtown to be affordable but close enough to walk everywhere he needed.

Grasping her tiny hand in his, he guided her through the widening streets as they approached one the city's main roads. People were already lining up. While the parade could easily be considered trivial and lame by any outsider's standards, it was all they had. It was one of the few events that brought everyone together.

Hand in hand he and his daughter strolled the crowds, trying to find someplace to stand where they could see A large gap opened up between groups of Mobians, to which his daughter readily pointed.

"No Rose, not over there. I don't want you anywhere near those fifthly creatures."

"Daddy, why don't you like the Mobians?"

The reasons were too complex for a five year old to understand. They were hiding, all of them. Since Julian had come into power, talking animals had some semblance of a price on their head. Instead of turning back to the forest from which they came, the Mobians were hiding in human cities. And aside from taking all the blue-collar work, they were threatening to bring war to every town they entered.

"You can't trust animals, sweetie, you never know when they'll bite you. Come over here where it's safer."

Rocksburrow had enough problems with degenerates, adding in another species only made things worse. Employing nearly half the town, the aging steel mill readily shed its over paid union workers for the influx of cheap labor. Everything was ripe for disaster.

"But how will I see?" she asked in desperation.

"That's easy," Johnny replied as he lifted the girl effortlessly on to his shoulders.

She giggled with delight as a marching band came into view.

Plenty of people sympathized with the Mobians, but most had no skin in the game. It was easy to see the plight of a displaced group, that was, until it got in the way of putting food on your family's table.

"Look daddy," Rose exclaimed pointing towards a clown on stilts, who, was at best haphazardly juggling an impressive number of bowling pins.

Sadly, Johnny could relate to the clown's predicament. He was himself juggling more than he could handle, forgoing presentation and form in hopes that if he focused hard enough he wouldn't drop anything. Taking care of Rose was a full time job and mixing it in with the other two that he was actually getting paid for left little room for sanity.

_But today is a good day__,_ he reminded himself. A national holiday to be exact, a day where even someone like him could relax.

A low flying jet streaked by overhead followed briefly by a sonic boom. The crowed roared with delight. Theatrics of this magnitude were seldom seen so far away from a major city, especially since Julian had declared war on the Mobians.

What Johnny thought was just a brief display of air power returned in force, this time an entire sortie of fighter jets thundered past just hundreds of feet above the buildings. Everyone was straining their necks looking into the bright cloudless sky hoping for a glimpse of another machine.

Patches of round cloth sprung up against the blue above them. Pretty soon the sky was filled with them, a few turning into a dozen or more.

"What are they?" the girl atop his shoulders inquired.

"They're parachutes," with a small amount of concern.

What ever they were and whatever highflying plane they fell out of, the objects were not falling slowly. In the distance, Johnny could see people fleeing as a large hunk of metal collided with the grounds sending up an enormous cloud of dust.

_That could have killed someone, what were they thinking. _

More and more could be heard touching down around the city. the ground thrummed with the force of a thousand war drums as the sound grew closer. Looks of panic began to spread amongst the parade's onlookers.

_Is this part of the show?_

"What's going on daddy?" Rose asked politely.

"It's part of the parade," he replied only half believing it himself.

Whatever had dropped from the sky had finally gotten up, all twelve tons of it. A massive chaingun wielding robot stood an impressive twelve feet, rotating slowly as it began to scan the crowd. Without hesitation it opened fire as soon as it spotted a group of Mobians, spraying lead across an entire block.

_Did someone forget to tell them there are humans here too?_ He thought before covering his daughter's eyes.

The thing had just cut down nearly a dozen people. Turning to look down another street Johnny spotted other mechs murdering indiscriminately in even more heinous ways. No one, regardless of their allegiance seemed to be safe.

"We need to go, Rose!" Johnny squeaked in a weak voice, pulling her down from his shoulders.

It wasn't long before the killing machines started to move in his direction. Bullets whizzed by as he ducked lower shielding his daughter from the hail of bullets. The blast of gunfire was growing near as deafening as Rose's screams.

_Hold on Rose, just hold on._

Turning down the first alley, Johnny found himself face to face with a half a dozen Mobians, each armed to the teeth. Halting in place, he begged them, "Please, no. I have nothing to do with this. Don't…"

His pleas however, fell on deaf ears and the group passed by without so much as a glance. They had no interest in him or his daughter. Instead they were focused on protecting their own families and homes.

"Bring that thing down," a wolf yelled just before the unmistakable whoosh of an RPG could be heard screeching down the street.

Johnny nearly found himself laughing at the thought this city's only defense being the citizens he loathed the most. Perhaps in his younger more rebellious years he would have joined them. Part of him missed the thrill, but he had Rose now.

A perfectly good Monday had evaporated into a war zone and he was caught right in the middle of it. Large explosions were echoing in the distance, overshadowed only by the chilling screams of their victims.

"Daddy!" Rose screamed, "What's going on?"

Johnny had no breath to explain. He was already at a full sprint, running endlessly between a maze of buildings. He paused when he came to the end of the alley, peering out into one of the busier streets, "Just stay calm, Rose, we're going to be alright."

It was a lie, but one that he needed to tell himself as much as her. Half the city was up in flames already. As best he could tell only luck would save them at this point, but Johnny wasn't about to lie down and die.

Dashing out into the road he found himself narrowly escaping a ferocious explosion, the force of which sent him to the ground. With the building behind him crumbling, Johnny was now stuck in the middle of the street with gunshots echoing from every direction. A glance at Rose revealed she had moved past a look of fright and was now well into tears and possibly in shock.

_Get up or you're dead! Get up!_

Willing himself back to his feet Johnny set to running again, but not before something akin to a bullet caught him the arm. He did his best to withhold the howl, but his daughter did not. The round had gone right through his bicep and into her shoulder.

_Who would do this? Who could shoot a child?_

It was impossible to say for sure who had done the deed, but what he knew with certainty that it was the Mobian's fault. If they hadn't bothered coming to this place then he wouldn't be holding a bleeding five year old right now.

Finding himself behind a parked car Johnny took some time to examine the damage. Only a fragment had made it into her, but the blood wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

_A hospital, I need a hospital, _he struggled to think over the terror Rose's screams.

It was an agonizing four blocks away. That was, if it still existed.

_Who would destroy a hospital?_ Johnny pondered before reminding himself it would probably be the very same people that would begin murdering people on a national holiday.

It was a clear example of counter insurgency tactics. Julian had waited until all the Mobians could be found in one place and then struck with unimaginable force. The parade was a perfect trap, they were all out celebrating as far away from hiding as could be. Everyone else who just happened to be there would simply be a casualty of war.

_Not even the Mobians would have seen this coming._

"Hold on Rose, daddy's going to make everything alright."

_Who am I kidding?_

Left, then right, and up through the broken window of a store front, Johnny didn't relent. He had to get to the hospital or live the rest of his life knowing he had failed everyone he loved. Exiting into the alley behind the building he walked cautiously towards the town square.

The hospital was in sight, but across a street already strewn with bodies and blood. He had no desire to add either of theirs to the pile.

"Psst, buddy," a voice called out from behind.

Turning he found two green orbs staring at him from an open door. Stepping closer the fuzzy outline of a muzzle came into view. An older looking raccoon was beckoning that he follow, "you're looking for the hospital right?"

Johnny nodded. His interest in trusting a Mobian was limited, but given the circumstances what choice did he really have.

"In here and hurry," the furry creature insisted.

Stepping inside, Johnny quickly kicked the door shut behind him, doing his best to comfort Rose, "easy now, Rose."

"Down here," the Mobian pointed at a cellar stairs, "the tunnel will take you there."

Johnny wanted to say thank you, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "why?"

"Wouldn't you do the same? Wouldn't you try to make a difference?"

He couldn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to say 'no' to the person who might have just saved he and his daughter's life. Turning towards the rickety stairs he descended cautiously into the dimly lit abyss, leaving the raccoon answerless and alone.

The ground rumbled as dust fell from the ceilings. Johnny wondered if it would ever stop, _what's left for them to blow up?_

It didn't matter, he needed to focus now. The flickering lights guided his way through the crumbling tunnel where a set of stairs took him back to the surface. As soon as the door opened Johnny was greeted with whales of sorrow and moans of the dyeing. Doctors, nurses, and common folk scurried about running from one room to another trying to deal with pure pandemonium.

"Can someone help me?" he asked meekly at first, but the people in lab coats and scrubs didn't bat an eye.

"Please!" he shouted this time, "someone help me!"

A doctor finally caught his pleading gaze, "what is it?"

"My daughter," Johnny insisted holding the now whimpering girl out for her to examine.

"Set her down over here," the woman with auburn hair replied.

A gurney on the opposite side of the hall was pressed against the wall, outside the flow of foot traffic. Rose winced in pain as he set her on the mattress.

"This is serious," came the concern, "she's lost a lot of blood."

Johnny finally took the time to look down at his shirt. It was stained red from collar to tail.

_Is this my blood or hers?_

"Will she be alright?" he asked instinctively.

With a subtle twitch in her less than assuring smile, the doctor replied, "of course."

_She's all I have._

"What about you? Are you okay?" the doctor quickly followed up as she took note of his arm.

"Just a scratch," he played it off, "I'll be fine. Just help her."

With a few hand signals a hare nearly as tall as he was appeared at the doctor's side. Dressed in nurse scrubs, the Mobian smiled sweetly at his daughter, brushing the blood stained hair from her eyes.

The Doctor no doubt saw his worried look when the rabbit arrived, "You have nothing to worry about Mr…?"

"Roberts… Cye."

_Wait, that's not my name. "_My name is Cye," he repeated aloud only defying what he knew to be true once more. _Why can't I say my name!?_ It was as if he wasn't actually there, but instead watching from a perspective that just happened to be his own.

"Well Cye," the woman said sweetly, "I assure you Aiden here is here to help just as much as me. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get her into surgery before this gets any worse."

And like that Johnny watched as his only family left in the world was wheeled away by a Mobian.

"What can I do?" the man begged as he followed after them.

"Stay out of the way," the woman said as politely as possible.

Stopping cold Johnny watched as Rose disappeared through a set of double doors labeled trauma.

The lobby floor was stained crimson. Blood had soaked into the aging oak, giving it an inordinately dark hue while its occupants were in varying forms of shock. Hospitals were hardly ever happy places, but today that seemed especially true.

_At least it's safe._

"Hey mister," someone asked tugging at his blood stained shirt, "are you okay?"

"Fine," Johnny managed before looking down at the girl responsible for making all the fuss.

She looked like a smaller version of the doctor he had just spoken with. The same color auburn hair fell in neat little curls around her cheeks while the scrubs that were two sizes too big for her crumpled up around her ankles.

"That arm doesn't look 'fine' to me," she replied in an almost sassy tone, "let me fix that up for you."

_She can't be more than twelve,_ he nearly snorted.

"Sure," Johnny relented before sitting down on a flimsy metal chair, "why not?"

She was quick to cut away his sleeve with a small pair of sheers. He wanted to complain, but realized the futility in something so trivial.

"What ever it was went right through," the girl exclaimed, "you're lucky."

_Tell that to my daughter. _

There was no end to the supplies she had tucked away in her messenger bag. After the gauze came a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Johnny winced as she dabbed the open wound.

"My mom can give you some stiches later… if you want," she continued as she wrapped his arm in a bandage.

All he could do was stare out a window as the carnage continued right before his eyes. Buildings disappeared in the distance while entire families, both Mobian and human, evaporated into clouds of red mist. Julian's desire to destroy what he viewed as an infestation was as indisputable as his ability to actually do it.

_Why did they have to come here?_ Johnny shook his head.

The girl joined him looking out the window and together they watched evil.

Seconds flowed into minutes where no words were spoken, only exasperated sound of their breathing confirmed that the other was alive. Young or old it was difficult to take in, the violence was beyond senseless even if behind it there was a purpose. The girl was first to break the silence.

"Mister, do you think we should help him?" she exclaimed while pointing outside.

Following her finger, Johnny found a Mobian trapped beneath an overturned car.

He shook his head, "no, it's not worth it."

"But we can save him," came her response as she rushed towards the door, medical bag in hand.

_Is she mad, there's a war going on out there!_

"Hey!" he yelled after her, "Girl! You can't…" _go out there, _he finished the sentence in his head as she exited the building.

Instinctively Johnny found himself moving towards the door.

_What are you doing Johnny? Don't go out there, _But his hand was already on the handle.

"My name is Mara," the girl said sternly from the top of the steps, "not girl."

She was a sassy one, and well past smart for her age.

"It's not safe, Mara."

"Nothing around here is safe," she spat back.

"Yes but…"

"Are you going to help or not!?"

_Do I have a choice?_

"Okay," he conceded.

"Good then come on," she yelled back at him as she bound down the stairs.

_She is going to get herself killed!_

In a few long strides Johnny caught up with her, nearly tackling her to the ground as a rocket tore past the two of them.

"You can't just run out there," he screamed. "They don't care that you're a little girl."

"I told you my name is Mara!"

_The temper on this one._

"I promise they care even less about your name, Mara. Follow me."

Ducking behind a bench Johnny peered out into the street. The car was still a good twenty-five yards away.

_What are you doing, Johnny? Rose still needs you, you can't go die'n now._

"Are you ready to run?" he asked over his shoulder.

The girl nodded.

"On three then. One. Two," and before he could say three he grabbed her hand and ran.

Bullets pecked at the ground as a soldier began to open fire. Johnny didn't take the time to stop and figure out who they were fighting for and instead focused on diving onto the pavement next to the Mobian.

The raccoon smiled at him, cautiously. It was the same one who had saved him earlier. If it weren't for the girl, Johnny would have been happy to leave the creature to his fate. Instead it might now appear as if he was returning the favor.

Mara jumped right into action, crawling over to the injured Mobian, "Hey there."

"What are you doing out here?" the raccoon asked frantically, "You're going to get yourselves killed."

_I know…_

"Just trying to make a difference," the girl responded.

Johnny faked a grin of agreement.

"Can you move?" she quickly followed up.

Frowning now, "Not with this thing on top of me."

Mara turned towards Johnny now, "Can you move it?"

"A car?" he stammered before seeing their optimism, "…I suppose I can try."

Digging his heels into the ground, Johnny pressed his back into the frame and pushed with everything he had left. The vehicle lurched ever so slightly allowing the creature wriggle free.

"Can you move?" Mara asked while Johnny checked the street for more enemies.

_Where did they all go?_

"I think so," came the Mobians reply.

Johnny shushed the two of them, "listen."

Everyone stood still listening to the sounds of silence.

_Why would they just stop? Unless…_

"Time to go," he yelled grabbing each of them by the collars of their shirts.

He got no more than five steps before a warm blast reached his back propelling them all through the air. Dust, fire, and smoke filled his world as the gritty pain of the asphalt tore at his skin. Mara and the raccoon had long ago left his grip, no doubt being swept away in the same blast.

The agony was as endless as the ringing in his ears. Sitting up, Johnny couldn't figure out how he was alive. The world appeared to be suspended flickering in an endless loop of burning buildings and screams.

_That was too close, I should have never left the…_ but then he saw what remained of the hospital he had left his daughter in.

"Rose," the man quivered as his mind began to catch up. "No."

Bringing himself to his feet, Johnny staggered to the wall of flame-covered debris searching for the only person he cared about. Never had defeat settled in so quickly. No one could have survived what had just occurred.

"Over here," someone with a deep menacing voice called out casually, "there's another survivor over here."

A man in a red suit stood before Johnny, watching curiously as he cried.

_Julian!_

"You did this!"

"I did," came his reply.

"I'll, I'lll…" Johnny stammered as he watched one Dominion agent after another take their place at the president's side.

"You'll what?" Kintobor asked, seemingly amused by the distraught man before him.

"Hey! Wake up! You hear me in there?" Someone asked out of nowhere. "Wake up!"

Then came a sting on the side of his cheek. Ignoring his foes, Johnny looked around frantically for the source to discover nothing but a fading reality. Colors of an even darker world flooded his senses and when his eyes opened he found a familiar looking smug faced raccoon.

"Why!?" Johnny begged as he shook the Mobian who was kneeling over him, "why did you wake me up?"

"They're not real," the raccoon insisted.

The memories had been torture enough, being told they weren't real only added to the pain.

"What?"

"The dreams," his partner went on, "when we… die, they're not real."

That went without saying, but was what they had shown him real?

Sitting up, Johnny rubbed the back of his head feeling for the source of his headache. It came in the form of sticky matted hair. Underneath was the gash from where the pavement had been kind enough to cushion his fall.

_I had a daughter._

"I got to see my daughter…" the man had the urge to say, _and even you were there, _he thought picking his head up_._

Although, he had no way of being certain. Even now, furry creatures of the same genius looked nearly identical to him. Besides even if his partner could remember he probably wouldn't admit it.

"Did you now?" the raccoon asked obviously uninterested before offering him a hand up off the ground.

"I think it was the day that I… I became whatever the hell I am now."

"You see what you want to see," the Mobian replied bluntly. "Your memories are gone and they aren't coming back anytime soon, same as mine."

Johnny followed the raccoon out of the alley, trailing as he regained some of his former composure.

_He's jealous,_ the man decided, _he doesn't remember anything from before._

"Her name was Rose."

"And that doesn't seem odd to you given your infatuation with that hedgehog? Johnny," the guardian said as he shook his head with disappointment. "Just listen to yourself."

Johnny paused as he began to ponder that coincidence. _He has it all backwards__._ _That must be why I don't mind her company… part of me still remembers my Rose._

"I even learned my name, my real one," the man went on regardless of how crazy any of it sounded.

Cautiously his partner eyed him, "Your best keeping that to yourself… even if it was a dream."

"Yeah, I am not sure I like it anyway," Johnny sighed.

"So, do you mind telling me what happened?" the raccoon finally asked.

He had almost forgotten. The memories of his past, real or otherwise still filled his head consuming every ounce of his attention.

"Julian," the man laughed as if he couldn't believe he was saying a dead man's name.

"Care to try again? He's been dead for close to a month. Just what did that little tumble do to you?"

_Besides make me realize why I hate Mobians, why I feel the overwhelming need to protect Amy, _"Nothing. I know who I saw."

"Have you been using again?"

Johnny stopped on a dime, starring at a street light in the distance, "Amy," he whispered.

Turning, he broke into a sprint towards her apartment.

He could hear the scrape of his partner's claws on the concrete sidewalk behind him, "Johnny, what the hell is going on?"

_He doesn't know the danger they're in._

Amy's door was fast approaching and Johnny turned to throw his shoulder into it at speed. There was a crunch as the deadbolt gave way followed shortly thereafter by sharp pain in his right arm.

The room was empty save for a pink hedgehog tucked away sleeping underneath the sheets of a bed in the far corner.

"Johnny," his partner barked, "what the hell are you doing?"

He ignored the Mobian.

"See, she's fine," the raccoon insisted.

"Where's Sonic?"

"How the hell should I know? He's the fastest thing alive, he could be anywhere."

"He was here!" Johnny shouted in a panic.

Approaching Amy he wondered why she hadn't woken up.

"What are you doing now?" his partner sighed.

"Why isn't she awake?"

Raising any eyebrow, the raccoon was finally curious enough to enter the apartment.

"Amy?" Johnny called out softly before shaking her side to side.

_No, not her too. _

His fingers went right to the soft part of her neck, hoping to find the beat of her heart.

"Is she alive?" the guardian asked in a voice almost devoid of any concern.

"Barely," Johnny replied before withdrawing his hand. "She's hardly breathing."

"Good, then we can go."

"Go? We can't leave her like this!"

"Of course we can, we're Guardians Johnny, it's our job to stay out of the way. Even if you wanted to I doubt The Source would let you carry her out of this room let alone anywhere safe."

Wrapping her up in the sheets, the slender man hoisted the Mobian into his arms half expecting to feel The Source clawing at his mind. However, nothing came, not even as he walked past his partner and back into the alley.

"How far do you think you're going to get before the pain becomes too much?" his partner called after him.

"I'll let you know when I actually feel it."

_Perhaps this is why The Source chose me?_

Cradling Ms. Rose like one might a child, Johnny walked into the night determined to succeed where he once failed. Leaving his partner behind he faded away into the night.

* * *

The only other thing I want to add to my note at the beginning is the differences in time between this and chapter 6. You might notice the previous chapter took place after the events in this chapter. That's all on purpose, and hopefully stylistically is interesting and wasn't totally lost in the weeks I have been working on everything. If it is however, confusing, let me know. I have a habit of writing out of order to mix things up a bit. As always let me know what you think with a review.

Cheers,

M.D


	8. Nothing Ever Changes

Fear swam on the surface of his glazing eyes as tears approached, but Colin held them off. He wasn't strong like his uncle, but what he lacked in courage, he apparently made up for in cunning.

"I've got some questions for you," Tails began, forcing every bit of ferocity into his own eyes.

There was no response, only snivels as the short balding man tried his best to breathe.

"Where is Johnny?"

"Who?" he squeaked.

The kit drove his fist into the man's stomach, forcing the air from his lungs. Doubling over, Colin gasped, coughing helplessly. Pushing the snarky dictator backwards into the waiting arms of his partner, Tails hoped Fiona could be more persuasive.

"If you're drawing a blank on the easy question, let's try this one," she whispered into his ear. "Where's Amy?"

"What makes you think I know?"

Miles could tell by the crunch of his pinky snapping like a twig it wasn't the answer she was looking for. The man let out a scream befitting of someone well under half his age.

"Colin," the two-tailed fox began as he paced around the man and his captor, "make this easy on yourself."

"I don't know anything," he broke down, "I only came here to see if I could find Amy myself… for leverage."

"Then where is she?" Tails asked sternly, "Where is Sonic? What did you do with them?"

Slowly the man began to laugh manically, "Do you know where anyone is? Or are you just playing games with me?"

Another one of his fingers audibly broke beneath the vixen's paw, sending him back into a fit of rage and profanity.

"Maybe you didn't understand me when I said I came here looking for her! If I had her, I wouldn't be here! If I had Sonic, I would be crushing every Mobian on the face of this planet."

Removing a silver Beretta from his holster, Miles spoke softly, "It's a shame you couldn't be more useful."

When Fiona released her grip and stepped to the side, Colin glanced at the door tasting the freedom on the other side. He must have known that he would not be as quick as the vulpine chasing him. Rolling his eyes, it took Tails no more than a few bounds before he caught up with the sniveling man.

A halfhearted shove was all it took to send Colin into a one of the many piles of garbage that lined the alley. Keeping his pistol trained on the scrawny man, the kit approached apprehensively unsure just what his new prisoner might try next.

"Get away from me you vermin!" the helpless man screamed as the two foxes backed him into a corner, "I won't let you take me alive again."

"Again?" Tails chuckled, "When have we ever have wasted our time with you?"

"Ha!" Colin cackled, "do you think I forgot all the time you kept me locked up in that tiny room? Or that insidious brain washing device? I threw up for days and days, and for what, petty bits of knowledge that I don't even know I know?"

The two-tailed fox lowered his gun as Fiona batted a confused glance in his direction. What Snively was describing was unquestionably imprinting, a technology that only the Resistance had perfected.

_How could he know about that?_

"Bullshit," Tails mumbled in disbelief, "prove it."

"What's he talking about Miles?" the vixen interjected, confused as to why they hadn't already killed the tiny man.

"I don't need to prove anything to you! What do you care? Either of you! Just get it over with," he whimpered. "I'd rather die than endure any more of your senseless torture."

_Colin was the other human, the one that Rotor kept talking about, the one that grew violent and got away._

"You didn't react well to it, did you?" Tails asked in a more sympathetic voice.

"Miles," Fiona snapped, "We don't have all night, more coppers will be here in no time. Sally told us to get rid of him, remember?"

But the kit ignored her as he knelt down Snively's level, locking eyes with him again, searching for any hint of dishonesty.

"You mean did I go crazy and wake up wandering through a corn field naked? Why are you acting so surprised? You and your friends were the ones responsible."

_What the hell were they doing with Colin? And why don't I know about it?_

"You look as if your memory is worse than mine," the scrawny man went on. "Need I remind you of anything else? Perhaps how I got these?" Colin screamed as he pulled his collar down, revealing the startling white and twisted scars around his neck.

_What the…_

"You and your friends thought my uncle was sick, but he never strapped a bomb to your neck."

Fiona coughed a little to point out the incorrectness of that statement, "Actually…"

"Oh shut up," he snapped, "the only reason he ever kept you around was to get to him," the pathetic excuse for a man barked as he pointed at the two tailed fox. "He only let you think you were useful so that you wouldn't go doing anything stupid. If Miles here didn't looooove you, you would have been as useless to us as you were to the Resistance."

Tails batted an eye to see how the vixen had taken such strong words, and the answer wasn't well. A haze filled her eyes while she rumbled a low growl. It was a low blow by Snively, made only more painful by the fact that the words were true. However, even despite Fiona's newly forming tears the kit couldn't stop thinking about Snively's words_, he never strapped a bomb to your neck… why would he say that…_

Tails nearly gagged as his mind put the pieces together. That ungodly perverse thing around Fiona's neck wasn't Kintobor's idea, it was Sally's. When Colin escaped he must have been wearing one. Julian helped him remove it but not before stealing the design. _The scars, they're from removing it. _

Killing him would be easy, but accomplished so little. There was a chance to make all of this right. All he had to do was get Colin back to Sally. _She'll have no choice to admit what she did._

"Grab him," Miles said bluntly, any hint of emotion now gone from his voice.

"What?" Fiona asked sniffling through tears she was trying desperately to hide, "I thought we were supposed to kill him?"

There was a distant whale of sirens, putting the coppers at least a dozen blocks away.

"We were," Tails admitted, "but he will be more useful alive."

The vixen buried her claws into the man's bony shoulders, wrenching him back to his feet as he howled in pain.

"I don't get it," Snively managed through labored breathing, "am I not good enough to kill?"

The kit wasn't even going to dignify him with a response.

"Miles, baby, what are we do'n,?" she asked, the sorrow finally leaving her voice, "You're starting to scare me."

_If only you knew, _and it was for the better that she didn't. There was no telling how the vixen would take it.

"Oh, I see," Snively replied wryly, "she doesn't know."

"Know what?" Fiona asked as she dug her claws in deeper.

Spinning on his heels, Tails pressed a cold steel barrel to his forehead, "not another word."

"What don't I know, Miles?" Fiona asked curiously, "what's he talking about?"

He could see the man opening his mouth to reply, but couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. Part of him wanted her to know the truth.

"You weren't the first person to wear a collar, Fiona," Snively replied, defying the gun pressed to his skull. "I was. The Resistance put one of those things on me, but I got away just like you. After my uncle helped me remove it, he found a new use for it. But I guess Tails never got around to telling you that he and his friends are the reason you had to spend so much time capturing and killing your kin."

Something inside the vixen changed. Almost immediately she was removed from the situation, loosening her grip to the point where Colin was free to move on his own again.

"Fiona, I swear," he began, "I didn't know."

She walked silently past him, devoid of any emotion at all.

It was hard to imagine all the things that could have been running through her head. There was endless betrayal to be felt. Her whole life she had been struggling for control but at every turn Fiona was made nothing more than a pawn in a game she wanted nothing to do with.

Turning his back on Colin, the kit ran after her. _I didn't know! _He longed to repeat himself, but what good would it do.

"Fiona!" he pleaded meekly, tugging at her shoulder.

The red fox tore it away with haste as she proceeded down the small alley towards the street. Coppers were getting closer now, the roar of the cruisers was now distinguishable from the blare of their sirens.

"I should have known that this was all somehow your fault," she muttered. "You let them capture me! You designed that – that thing and then let Julian steal it so he could put it around my neck. Now you want me to pretend like you haven't caused me more pain than joy?"

The vixen's steps were slow and deliberate suggesting she might be diverting some of he anger into the ground. When the kit tugged on her shoulder again, she stopped. He thought for sure she would be crying or in a fit of rage, but when she turned to face him her gaze was stone cold, cut off from the world.

"Tails," Fiona began as she brought a paw his muzzle, caressing it gently.

_She never calls me Tails. Have I been demoted to just a friend?_

"I am not sure if I feel like finding out how many more times you can let me down before it kills me. When do I cut my losses and go live my own life?"

"After you help me make it so the world is safe enough that you can," the kit suggested.

"No," she shook her head as the Copper's cruisers began to surround them, "I… I think now is better."

"Now?" Tails asked rhetorically looking out at the growing sea of weapons pointed in their direction. "I think we have a little work to do first."

There was nowhere to run, only luck would save them. But when he shifted his gaze back to Fiona, the vixen was nowhere to be found, leaving the kit fumbling for words.

_So that's what it feels like,_ Tails couldn't help but laugh despite wanting to cry. How many times had he left people, including her, standing alone cursing his ability to fade away in the blink of an eye?

Where did she go? The kit knew he wasn't that good. Without shadows or a Power Ring he would not be able to fade away like she had.

None of the Coppers seemed to notice the missing fox, suggesting they never even saw her to begin with. Tails began to pace back and forth in front of them, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"What do you want us to do with him, Sir?" One of them yelled, looking over the two-tailed fox's shoulder.

_Colin,_ Tails sighed wishing he had at the very least dragged the man out here as a human shield. Instead he let Fiona tear him away and lure him into danger. _Nothing ever changes,_ he thought, reflecting on his life since he met the vixen.

"Yes Colin, what will you and your friends be doing with me?" Tails asked in an almost hysteric voice before turning to face the cowardly man.

To his surprise, the undersized dictator was straightening out his jacket and brushing the dust from his shirt as he waddled down the narrow trash ridden street. The steep collar of his overcoat cast a long shadow across his face while the tail flapped openly in the wind. Although he was slimmer than his uncle Colin did manage the menacing look well in his own right.

"I think it's time I show you the same courtesy the Resistance showed me," he responded while massaging his broken fingers.

Most coppers towered over Tails, but Snively had a much smaller stature. The kit was nearly able to look him straight in the eyes, but he knew better than to feel confident. There were still at least twenty guns and growing aimed at his back.

"What makes you think I would let you take me alive?"

"I don't plan on giving you the choice," Colin snapped back as he removed a stun gun from his pocket.

The two-tailed fox had never had the pleasure of encountering one of these devices, but it was hard to believe the loss of control he felt. His muscles bent and withered as his mind exploded in a fire so hot he couldn't focus on anything else. The pain of his knees hitting the ground was nothing compared to the voltage being injected into his body.

"If you think this is anything like what I endured, you're in for a long night, Fox." Snively spat as he tried to force the kit all the way to the ground.

_Focus!_ The kit barked at himself. Clenching his muscles tight, he took away the devices power to control his movement. His lungs gasped for air they couldn't inhale while his primal instincts begged to let out a scream of epic proportions.

"Don't waste all that resistance now, Tails. Where you're going, you'll be needing it."

"Resist?" he managed through clenched teeth, "I want to share."

It was a simple motion, but with four thousand volts coursing through his body, reaching to grab something was an activity that required a nearly infinite amount of preparation. However, it paid off. The moment he took hold of Colin's ankle, the man let out a shriek that reminded all of his subordinates just how little of a man he was. It only took a second for him to fall to the ground releasing his grip on the Taser, freeing the fox of its grasp.

With no time to spare he scooped the dictator up in his arms, finally acquiring his human shield. Clamping tightly down on Colin's neck while pressing a silver Beretta to his side reminded everyone he meant business.

"Your move," Tails called out to his audience.

A few of them steadied their aim as they tried desperately to get an angle on him. Colin was the perfect hostage. Short enough to gain leverage on, but large enough to hide almost entirely behind.

"Don't shoot," the sniveling man screamed. "Just – just stand down."

Only a handful of agents lowered their weapons at first, but the rest soon followed. Tails managed to count nearly eight Dominion agents with lightly armored coppers filling in what remained. Taking on a force this large was suicide and his bargaining power extended only as far as he could safely carry Snively.

Inching the man closer to the crowed, Tails kept his eye on the prize. The Dominion had always been well funded, never left wanting for even the most unnecessary of toys. Julian's machines had made it so that open war was never an option. The Resistance had learned to fight from the shadows, to leverage their opponents, and turn the fruits of their labor against them.

As they grew closer to the APC, the coppers began to backtrack, giving the kit a wide berth.

"Don't provoke him," the miniature dictator bellowed, "let him go."

The runt of man was playing it safe, and for good reason. Tails had just got done telling him how he was more important alive.

When the two-tailed fox's heel collided with the ramp of the armored vehicle, he shorted his stride and double-checked his footing. He wouldn't make it far, but at least he would make it somewhere. Standing on the other side of the bulkhead, Tails' elbowed the man his grasp while nodding to the button to the side of the door. Reluctantly, Snively reached out and pressed it, watching with growing sorrow as the people sworn to protect him disappeared behind three inches of reinforced steel.

Walking him to the front of the vehicle, the kit nearly threw the whimpering man into the passenger seat, "I would buckled up."

At first he appeared to be defiant, but the thunderous sound of a KAZ W16 diesel engine gurgling to life seemed to change his mind. What the machine lacked in beauty, it made up for in power, raw power. With enough torque to pull a locomotive and its freight, eight wheels for traction and twenty-eight tons of alloy surrounding its passengers, not much could get in the aptly named Dozer's way.

Planting his foot to the floor, Tails' was curious to see just how fun this thing could be. Almost immediately the wheels squealed as the APC began a mad dash down the street. The noises and the exhaust were consistent with an erupting volcano while the sheer G-Forces were sucking the kit back into the driver seat.

In further abstention of his manhood, Snively let out a shriek that could be heard even outside the armor-plated, striving at an even quicker pace to strap him into anything that would hold him place.

"What should we do now?" Tails asked forgetting the person sitting next to him wasn't Fiona.

"Now?" Colin asked confused between breaths and screams.

A group of Capital City cruisers was forming at the next intersection in a pitiful attempt to make a roadblock. Pushing harder on the gas pedal he felt his chariot surge forward.

"Are you insane," his new partner screamed as they approached, "you're going to get us killed!"

_Fiona would have trusted me, _but he didn't have time to build faith now.

The sedans crumpled as they bounced from the side of the APC. Inside the Dozer there was hardly a bump to be felt as they passed clean through the Dominion's trap.

"You were saying?" Tails asked looking over at the short man.

Instead of responding he let out a new screech as he waved a finger at something in front of them.

Instantly, the kit switched all his weight onto the break, skidding to a stop on the damp pavement. Fifty feet in font of them stood a SWAT Bot. These ten-ton behemoths weren't made of cheap foreign parts like the cruisers he had just turned into splinters.

"Can this thing take a hit?" Tails asked, worrying about the cannon that was seemingly trained on him.

Having now lost the will to even scream, the pint-sized man just shrugged his shoulders.

The vulpine committed himself to a staring match, locking onto the robot's unrelenting red gaze. _They wouldn't risk killing Colin, would they?_ Although it was possible one of those rounds would do little more than disable the APC, which is probably exactly what they wanted.

"One way to find out I guess," the kit said to no one in particular.

With renewed enthusiasm and the determination to destroy yet another one of the late Kintobor's toys, Tails found the accelerator with the heel of his foot. Wide eyed, the scrawny dictator watched as they nearly mowed down the one story machine. It clawed madly at lanyard points and vents but came up short as more and more of its torso was dragged beneath the Dozer. It all ended abruptly when the SWAT Bot disappeared below the hood in an eardrum-shattering crunch.

"Ha!" Tails laughed like a child. "Did you see that?" he asked half expecting to find the grin of a red furred fox when he turned toward the seat next to him.

Snively was still gripping the armrests, his knuckles white as bone. The kit's giddy grin did not last long however, shifting his gaze past the man and through the tiny passenger window he was able to spy a SWAT Bot as they passed through another intersection. A report from its cannon quickly followed with a small plume of smoke exiting the barrel.

"Down," the fox screamed as he grabbed Snively's head and pushed it below the glass.

The APC skidded sideways and out of control amidst the blast. When his ears finally stopped ringing and the world stopped spinning, Tails picked his head up and took inventory of his situation. Everything was thankfully where it used to be, for the most part anyway. More importantly, his get away vehicle was still functional, despite the two-foot wide dent in the steel armored rear cabin quarters.

"Are you okay," he asked with far too much concern.

Snively glared at him with a deep seeded hatred as if to ask, "Are you serious?"

"Right," _You're not her._

"What makes you think you're going to get away with this?" Colin asked Tails plowed parked cars out of the way.

"I have gotten used to it," the kit replied nonchalantly. "What makes you think anyone can stop me?"

"They'll have air support here any minute, you can't drive this thing forever."

Tails was ahead of him. He needed an exit, one that would let him slip away on foot.

* * *

So I have no excuses for may laziness other than laziness itself. In other news I am back. Anyone still around?

Cheers,

M.D


	9. Needed Strength

How long had it been? Minutes, hours, days? The fog that enveloped her was more damning than anything she had ever experienced. Sally, Sonic, she understood, they had had it out for her before, but Miles…

_Why? _She asked to no one as she stumbled down a dusty set of stairs.

For the first time in a long time, she had no one to look out for her but herself. Where once Naugus or Kintobor might have tugged a leash to keep in her in line or Miles to pat her on the shoulder and whisper reassuring things, there was no one.

Further and further down the rabbit hole she dove, searching desperately for the bottom of her despair. Staggering as if all her energy had leaked out, the red furred fox slid herself into the shadows of a both. The place where criminals or worse came to sell their ill-gotten wears and information.

Burying her face in her paws, Fiona wanted to cry, to curse whatever god saw fit to give her a life of misery. The strength and determination that had kept the fox alive for so long was now beginning to fade. Having been in the darkest of places, she had always been able to find hope, but now, alienated from the only people she knew to be friends there was nothing and no one left to help her.

"Fiona," someone said skittishly.

_Well almost no one. _

"Johnny," she replied, trying to hide the gloom in her voice.

"Have you found our friend already?"

"Johnny? No, I am afraid I am only good at losing them…"

"Losing them?" he laughed until he noticed the lack of a two-tailed vulpine. "You're brave coming back here empty handed and alone. You remember our agreement, Johnny, in return, our forgiveness."

"Have you seen Tails?" she asked almost desperately. "Has he come back yet?"

"No, I am afraid I have not."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Fiona," the raccoon said calmingly, "I think you might be forgetting who asks the questions around here. We don't owe you anything until you help us."

_Don't you realize I can't help you without him!_

"Well your little mystery is starting to look like more of a setup. If I didn't know better, you know exactly where Jonny is."

The creature's green eyes narrowed, the points of his teeth glimmering in an odd moon like glow, "We've moved on to accusations now, have we? Have you forgotten where you are?"

"'He's on a crusade', that's what you said wasn't it?" the vixen chuckled. "Sounded an awful lot like you knew what he's crusading for."

Then came a deep chuckling, "She is good, Johnny, I'll give her that."

The blood red echidna faded into existence next to her, an all too spooky experience for her liking.

"What do you want?" she asked, more annoyed with Knuckle's arrogance than anything else.

"To know what you found."

"What I found?" Fiona snorted.

"Something not to your liking?" the raccoon inquired, striving to push her buttons.

"What I found is that every person I have ever called anything close to a friend has at some point or another strived to kill me," the vixen responded while transferring her glance between the two Mobians sitting around her.

"You seem surprised by this," Knuckles replied. "Why? You grew up in the game and yet you still don't seem to understand how it's played."

"Oh, I know how it's played. People like you run around and hold their power over everyone else, forcing them to do the risky work, building empires with the blood of others and promises of favors won't ever be repaid."

Their grins grew, gleaming in the dull light.

"What did you find?" Knuckles asked again.

"What did I find?" Fiona growled. "The address you gave me belonged to a very well hidden hedgehog. One, that I might add, seemed to visit here a lot, which is where I presume our dear friend Johnny grew to be rather infatuated with her. Late night walks home, conversations amidst the candlelight, real romantic stuff. Of course, as I am sure you both already know someone else had eyes for this pink pincushion as well. If there ever was a battle to witness, it would be the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog versus a full fledge Guardian. However, that's where it all falls apart. Sonic was paying you to keep her safe, wasn't he? I doubt even Johnny would let his fantasies run away in the face of an endless supply of money. Something happened to Sonic, and if I had to guess Johnny stepped in to protect Amy. The only question is where did he take her?"

"She is good," Johnny said nearly dumb founded.

The blank look on the raccoon's face told her she had more than surprised him. Even if half of it was Tails' theory, it had taken her hours to put it all together in a way that made sense.

_We made a good team…_

"But that's not all we found," the red fox continued.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow daring her to continue.

"It was with all Sonic's stuff," she went on while reaching for the clasp on the backpack. "Miles didn't get a chance to tell me much about it."

Producing the golden ring, it glowed a bright yellow even in the depths of darkness.

The raccoon hissed as he shielded his eyes, "Are you insane? Put that away!"

Knuckles pushed her arm gently back towards her bag, "Patience, Johnny, she doesn't know what it is."

"Yes I do!" the vixen stammered as she returned it to Sonic's satchel, "It's a Power Ring."

The echidna smiled, "It is, but do you know what it is?"

The fact that he repeated the question made her unsure of repeating her answer, so instead she shook her head.

"Do you know what they do?"

This time she nodded.

"The energy in those is powerful, enough to scare Johnny here. Mobians like Sonic can tap into their energy and become as powerful as a Guardian for a short time, but tapping into the energy is a different story all together. There are not many things that can kill a Guardian, Fiona, but that is one of them," the blood red Mobian stated bluntly. "Just one touch and we could loose our connection to the source and then we are as mortal as you."

Knuckles was being every bit as vague as Miles had been.

"Tails figured it out," she remarked.

A round of cautious glances between the two Guardians ensued.

"How to use the Power Ring I mean," she clarified when neither spoke. "But then again I guess that shouldn't be much of a surprised to anyone given his ability to fade out of sight."

The rolling of their eyes quickly turned to fear.

"Say that again!" the echidna demanded.

"His ability to fade out of sight? Tails could never do it like you," Fiona remarked sullenly, "or at least not without a Power Ring. Before he melded with shadows and grew blurry around his edges. With a Power Ring he could streak naked across the stage at the inaugural address and no one would ever see him."

"How did we not notice this?" Knuckles asked his associate.

"We're Guardians," Johnny sighed, "we see everything whether it's visible or not. The better question is how he managed to tap into the Power Ring? That is not meant to be an easy task."

"It's a good thing he figured it out when he did, Colin had us trapped like rats."

"Colin Kintobor?"

"That sniveling bastard was trying to get his hands on Amy as well. He showed up out of the blue and with plenty of company. When Tails picked up the ring, he vanished."

"Is that how you and Mr. Prower got separated?"

Fiona paused a moment before responding, "No. I left him there when I found out he had a hand designing my collar."

The guardians took another moment to exchange looks as if to ask the other if they knew anything.

"Fiona," Johnny said calmly, "I am quite certain you're mistaken."

"The Resistance put one of them on Colin first, and I doubt Sonic built the damn thing."

"I am not sure you're aware of what lengths Mr. Prower went to get you back, to keep you safe."

"Why?" she snapped, "Because he felt guilty?"

"Perhaps, but not because of your collar," Knuckles answered.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"We were the ones who found Colin. Hired by the Resistance," Johnny replied this time. "He was a long lost relative of the Julian. Sally had hoped the tiny man would be able to provide easier access to Julian's facilities. They devised a plan to make him appealing enough for his uncle to recruit him."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Despite what you might know about him, Tails is soft. Sally and Sonic knew better than to share their plans with him, they knew he would have never supported it. I suspect whatever Colin told you, it was as new to Miles as it was to you."

_Well that explains why he was playing twenty questions with him… why he wanted to keep him alive. _

All at once the tears started, she had been trying to hold them off for hours.

"Why tell me this?" she sniffled, "I thought nothing here was free."

"It isn't," Knuckles answered with a grin, "You answered our question we answered yours. Can we trust you will keep that information to yourself? Or need we remind you of the rules?"

Finally the guilt caught up with her forcing her to face the reality that she did, what she swore she would never do to anyone she cared for.

_You left him, Fi, you left him there… alone._

It was meant to be a cruel form of revenge, turning her back on him when he needed her most. However, even when she had been captured, it hadn't been because the kit had turned his back on her. The universe strove to keep them apart despite each of their best efforts.

"I…" the vixen stammered, "I don't know how to fix it."

"Fix what?"

"This, Tails, us, everything…"

"Then help us."

"No… I need to find Miles. I need to make this right," Fiona answered back as she got to her feet.

"I'm sure he's fine," Knuckles assured her, the anger growing in his voice. "Kintobors have been trying to kill him for years."

"Not this one," she stated calmly, "Colin is craftier. I shouldn't have left him there on his own…"

"Fiona, don't waste our graciousness," Johnny implored. "You can help us or we can make it so Miles is the least of your concerns."

"I'm not scared of you, either of you," the red furred fox retorted.

"Well you should be," the Echidna's loud booming voice replied as he too got his feet.

A fury nearly as deep as Julian's burned behind Knuckle's eyes.

Before she could blink, she was tumbling through the darkness head over heels wondering what would break her fall. The answer, as it turns out, was the wall on the opposite side of the den. The sudden onslaught of pain spiked all her senses as she strove to fight off the agony of a broken rib.

"Knuckles, we need her," Johnny reminded his fellow guardian. "Don't do anything rash, replacing her now will not be easy."

Next to the vixen laid Sonic's bag, the glimmer of its contents peeking out from behind the flap. She glanced at and then the advancing Guardian.

"Knuckles," the Raccoon spoke again from the blackness, "let us not have a repeat of last time. Leave her be, enough damage has been done already."

Extending an arm, she reached for the ring. Standing slowly, she held it in an outstretch hand, waving it like a stick of fire to fend of hungry wolves.

"Stay back," she shouted.

"Or what?" the red Guardian asked, surrounding her with illusions of himself.

"I'll use it."

The echidna laughed mockingly, "Even if Miles figured it out, what makes you think you could?"

Fiona only hated him more for it. She was stronger than they knew. Her life was derived from her strength and the fox still had plenty left.

"I left that part out, didn't I?"

There was no response. Perhaps they were calling her bluff, but somehow she knew it would be there for her, the way it had been for Miles.

"I can feel pulse, the energy humming below the surface, just waiting to find a way out."

"Then prove it!" Knuckles demanded as an Illusion charged her, winding up one hell of a blow.

A sudden clarity set in, the warmth of the energy traveling outward from her hand to the rest of her body. It all made sense once she focused on what she needed to do.

With her other hand she found the crook of the echidna's elbow, stopping his punch well before he finished throwing it. There was a stunned look on his face as she slid an open fist up his shoulder and into the soft spot of his neck. Knuckles reeled backwards, sputtering.

"Lucky," he insisted before throwing another punch.

This time, the vixen caught it like one might a baseball. It was an effortless task and she made sure to have it appear as one. Squeezing his steel fist up to a breaking point, Fiona smiled back at him. It was her turn.

The energy was endless, pointing it all in one direction seemed like overkill, but Fiona wanted to make a point. What should have shattered her hand instead sent the crimson echidna across the room and through a table. With a Power Ring, her strength was unparalleled, even to that of a Guardian.

Approaching the dazed Mobian Fiona held the glowing ring inches from his nose, daring him to try anything. "One touch, right?"

He nodded in reply.

She had had her fill of death. The vixen needed allies, not enemies. Fiona lowered the ring, offered the Guardian a hand up instead. Knuckles scoffed at the notion nodding her away.

"How about we do this my way!" the vixen demanded to no one in particular. "No more I owe you or you kill me. Instead, I do you a favor, and you do me one in return. Deal?"

When his partner failed to respond the raccoon took it upon himself, "What will we be doing for this favor of yours?" Johnny asked, his green eyes still watching from the shadows.

"You two find Miles… I'll find Johnny. Everyone wins, no one dies."

"And what would you like us to do with Mr. Prower once we locate him?"

"Keep him safe and tell him – tell him that I'm sorry, that I'm going to fix all this."

The raccoon sighed, "You two or more the same than perhaps either of you understand. Know that this is not work we typically do, but in light of our new agreement, consider our two-tailed friend found."

Smiling, the vixen knelt back down to the level of the crimson Guardian at her feet. His posture of defeat had become saturated with frustration while his gaze hardened. Fiona knew as well as anyone else, no one took on a guardian and won, yet she had.

"I'll bring your friend back," she promised him, locking onto his eyes feeling more an equal now than ever before.

Turning to leave she stopped when Knuckle's spoke "Fiona, aren't you forgetting something?"

Pausing she waited for him to continue, "Johnny's crusade has a beginning and end. You're more than likely going to find him where so much of this began. If I am not mistaken you've been there already. He is lost and confused and wants desperately to return home."

Without turning to face him, she nodded in acknowledgement, "thanks."

Collecting the Power Ring's satchel from the floor, she returned the mysterious item to its home. Slinging the bag over her shoulder the red furred fox made for the exit, paying no mind to the eyes that followed her.

"One more thing?" the defeated guardian called after her.

She stopped on the bottom step, raising her head as if to ask 'what'?

"The Power Ring, how did you figure it out?"

"What's to figure out?" she laughed. "It works when it is required to, just like it did for Miles. It responds to need, not want."

* * *

I'll do my best to keep this updated during the holidays. Your opinions are both welcomed and appreciated. Have a good New Year in the event I don't get something up for next week!

Cheers,

M.D


	10. The Curse of a Blessing

A blessing, a curse, Johnny had never bothered to sit down long enough to give it any real thought. Without any of his former memories, life was a bliss uneventful sideshow he was forced to participate in. Nothing held any meaning, any value because a Guardian only did whatever he was made to do.

Eying the new buildings smashed against the older more war torn, Johnny inhaled deeply hoping to pull some memories back in with his breath. The air was stretched thinner, cleaner, almost obnoxiously so. It was nothing like Capital City's rotten atmosphere.

Rocksburrow was a distant memory of a memory. For a place he may have once called home, everything was foreign. He wondered from street the street with a look that suggested he was content to be lost. No one stopped him, no one went as far as to tip their head and acknowledge his presence. Johnny was a ghost in a town that existed only because it didn't know how to do anything else.

Their hope had been crushed as much as his once had. A twisted pile of steel and ruble lay at the out skirts of town. Formerly a steel mill, The Resistance had seen fit to level it. Righteous wars had a habit of leaving the people that wanted nothing to do with them bitter and helpless. Caught in the crossfire for over a decade, the people of Rocksburrow were stubborn survivors who didn't know any better. They blamed the Mobians, just like he had, unable to see through Julian's smoke of deceit.

The hospital had unsurprisingly been rebuilt. Once reduced to nothing more than crumbling sandstone, Kintobor's government had cleaned up its mess. Johnny wanted to call on his convoluted memories, to be angry, but he couldn't. They were so distant and emotion so foreign, all he could do was let out an exasperated sigh. It was the same tiring loop he walked every day, hoping that some small detail would jog his non-existent memory.

_Why did I come here? Why did The Source let me come here?_

Both questions bothered him to an impossible degree. If Johnny was free, he could have gone anywhere, but instead he chose a town with no future and a past so tumultuous it was taboo to speak of. There was no denying he felt drawn here, but whether that was for his own reasons or someone else's he wasn't sure.

The motel room, if it could be called that, barely had enough room in it for a bed. Given its purpose, that wasn't surprising, but that wasn't why he was there. At twenty credits a night he would be able to sleep here for a month on just what was in his wallet.

_Perhaps that will be enough time to figure all of this out,_ the man pondered as slid a key into the door.

A pink hedgehog still lay sprawled out on the mattress, wrapped in as many blankets as he could find. Amy shivered in a shadowy fever that was finally beginning to break. Whatever happened at her apartment was no accident; Johnny had seen this illness before. In dealing with the underworld, so too came the familiarity with their products and purposes. Night Shade was a vile substance, capable of reducing even the strongest of men or Mobians into helpless victims.

The Guardian was all too familiar with the narcotic, which in lower doses would induce incredible dream like trances. Take too much and the world would slip away into darkness and nightmares. A bad trip could last for days, even weeks. However, that was just from the outside. Johnny had spent enough time trapped in those nightmares to know that even one day may have well as been a lifetime, a week, eternity.

Nothing had ever gone well for him, not in this life, and if his dreams were to be believed, not the previous either. Removing the cool wash cloth from a dish next to the bed, he blotted the hedgehog's forehead, letting the beads of water roll down her warm cheeks.

"Miss Rose," he said aloud as if it were just another day, hoping with what little hope he had left that she might respond.

She remained motionless.

"Why did Julian do this to you Miss Rose?"

Even if the answer was obvious, it was still hard to believe that Kintobor, alive or dead, could possibly do anything to Sonic. It was no secret that even the Guardians shied away from dealing with him.

"Perhaps," Johnny suggested to no one, "you were just an innocent bystander in all of this. The dose of Night Shade required to incapacitate someone like Sonic would nearly kill you."

And it had. Without his care, the hedgehog would have starved to death or worse by now. Thankfully her pain seemed to subside beneath his touch. Even if Amy was a Mobian, she was the Rose he never got to have. Johnny had learned by now the universe was, if nothing else, full of irony.

With her recovery looming, Johnny knew that she would be waking soon. However, that experience would not be a welcome one. Something this potent would leave its mark with a pounding headache and vertigo that would have Amy heaving up any food she managed to eat.

"I'll be right back."

Johnny hated leaving her almost as much as he hated being trapped in that tiny room. It would only take him a few minutes to find some things to ease the pain as she once again entered the world of the awake.

The walk down the sidewalk to the less than sprawling town center was short. People shuffled around with their hands buried in their pockets, hardly concerned with the oddly dressed stranger in their midst.

Even at such a great distance from The Source, disguises were still remarkably easy, barely draining his energy at all. Outdoors in the cold grey sky his charcoal suit was not nearly as out of place as it would be inside the sterile environment of a hospital. Johnny had been walking past it for weeks, conjuring a character in his mind.

Each step he took up the stairs, his appearance shifted until he was a much younger man with blonde hair dressed in a wool sweater and lab coat. Only a few people bothered to spare him a glance as he walked past the reception area, but none tried to stop him. Without The Source tugging at his mind, Johnny was only a sour conscience away from becoming the world's best thief.

Thankfully the medicine was not difficult to find, nor for that matter very secure. Johnny was no stranger to temptation. It whispered softly into his ear, begging that he partake in the abundance. There was enough here to keep him happy for months, but he shrugged it off.

_Amy! Focus on Amy!_

Addiction had its curses, but also its blessings. The confusing names printed on the containers and vials were like a second language to him. Opening a bottle he procured a few pills before returning it the shelf where its altered contents would hopefully remain unnoticed.

"Dr. Russel?" Someone said in surprise when the door opened behind him, "I could have sworn I saw in the operating room not five minutes ago."

_Perhaps this disguise is a little too good,_ the Guardian contemplated.

Facing the nurse, he smiled a warm glowing smile. He couldn't fake a voice he had never heard, so he gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before squeezing past the woman and through the doorway. Johnny could feel her eyes buried in the back of his skull. Just as he rounded a corner he could hear the nurses' hastened footsteps as she attempted to catch up to him.

With an exasperated exhale, Johnny dropped the disguise, instead donning the look of a confused patron. The nurse stumbled past him in a hurry as she continued her search for a doctor in a white lab coat.

_Perhaps,_ he lamented, _I wouldn't be that good of a thief after all. _

Dark thoughts aside, the Guardian focused on returning to his own patient. This Mobian inexplicably meant the world to him and he still wasn't entirely sure why. Scurrying along the sidewalk, he would occasionally tap his palm against pocket.

His anger began to well up when he saw the door to his hotel room ajar.

"Who would…" the Guardian began aloud, but quickly fell silent when he discovered an empty room.

_Where did she go? Did someone take her?_

It was his worst nightmare all over again.

A scream rose up in the distance and before he could even think to move his feet, they were already heading in that direction. Johnny had heard Amy a hundred times, and he knew well enough this wasn't her. A Mobian in these parts however, was reason enough to scream. Miles Prower had seen to that.

Rounding a corner of run down row houses Johnny could make out a growing group of people encircling an abandoned construction sight. Lungs gasping for air, he didn't dare break his stride.

Approaching captiously Johnny pushed away the onlookers, all pointing and staring at the half naked Mobian cowering in the rubble. He had meant to be there when she returned from her sleep, but instead she awoke to an empty room in a foreign land.

"Miss Rose!" he shouted above all the murmurs while pushing people aside.

"Johnny!" She begged, "Where- where am I?"

Rushing to her side, he wrapped his overly large suit jacket around her, the tail of which nearly reached the ground.

"Come along, I'll keep you safe."

Surprisingly the ring of spectators grew thick and their demeanors grim. Not a single one seemed content with letting the Mobian out of their sight. The rapidly approaching sirens only seemed to confirm it.

"Out of the way," Johnny said in a deep menacing voice.

No one moved, not even an inch. These were hard people, tried and tested in every way possible. Men in suits held no power over them.

"Fine," he snorted.

With the source so far away anything more than the basics was going to tire him, and quickly. The sound of car doors snapping shut forced him to look right as two coppers squeezed through the plethora of onlookers. Johnny met their gazes head on.

"You two stay still," one began, "you will be coming with us."

"I highly doubt that," the Guardian replied as he took a step toward the officers.

By the time they drew their weapons he had vanished from sight. The crowd gasped as everyone looked around for the man who had just been standing in front of them. When he reappeared, Johnny was behind the larger of the two coppers.

"Boo."

The man nearly jumped out of his skin turning to face his attacker only to instead find the startled faces of the people watching. Theatrics like these weren't supposed to be possible when The Source was watching. It was as if it had lost its grip on him. Perhaps he could do as he pleased for now.

As he circled the men, watching from his own private shadow, Johnny couldn't help but take note of the panic he had instilled. The crowd had already begun to break up as the fear of an invisible man grew.

"Where are you?" One of them finally asked.

"Look around," Johnny answered, "Don't you see me? I'm right in front of you."

And he was. Even if the Guardian was older than most he was still capable. With a painful twist of the copper's weapon it quickly became Johnny's.

Everyone was backing away now, copper or not. Power like his was distinguishable and people knew better than to meddle with things they didn't understand, well almost everyone.

The crunch of gravel beneath steel slowly approached each footstep instilling worry in the pit of Johnny's Stomach. Turning his head slightly, he could see them.

_Dominion,_ he longed to say with disdain.

"Johnny," one of them called out, "you're a little far from home."

"Vacation," he answered with a wry smile.

"We're here for the Mobian," the other declared. "Let us have her and no one has to get hurt."

"I can't let you do that."

"Isn't that against the rules?" one of them laughed. "I thought you assholes couldn't pick a side."

"I make the rules," he snorted in return.

"Don't make this hard on yourself, Johnny."

"I don't think you boys know who you're dealing with," the Guardian replied as he snapped his fingers.

Light fled the world as if it were attached to switch. The murmurs of the crowed once again turned into shouts and screams as people fled into the darkness towards whatever light remained.

"We know who you are, Johnny," came a response, "and we know what you are."

"And I know what you are," he shouted back. "Murders, traitors to everything humanity stands for."

A sudden unending agony burrowed its way through his chest and out his back. The guardian fell to his knees releasing the world's light back into its natural place. Breaths grew painful and even though he tried to hold it back Johnny coughed up an unhealthy amount of blood.

"Thermal vision," one of the agents said rhetorically tapping on the side of his helmet.

_Of course. _

Kintobor had equipped his soldiers well. There was no hiding in the shadows against them.

"You can't hide from us, Johnny boy," the other laughed, "we can see through the darkness."

"What about hammers?" a much meeker voice asked. "Can you see through those?"

Johnny looked up in time to see Amy bring a Pico branded sledgehammer across one of the agent's face. The glass in his helmet shattered as the man spun around nearly three full times before collapsing to the ground.

Before his partner could grab the pink hedgehog, she drove the butt of the wooden shaft into his gut and then smashed his foot with the hardened iron mallet. Even in steel boots, the man let out a massive scream as he fell backwards.

Raising the hammer high above her head, the Mobian quipped, "Let me know if you can see through this darkness."

The thud was surprisingly dull for metal on metal contact, but that's only because the helmet had given way. Johnny couldn't stomach the thought of what the man's face might look like under the visor.

"Johnny," Amy screamed, "Are you alright?"

For an immortal person he was in a lot of pain.

"I feel like there is a hole in my heart," the guardian smiled, knowing full where there might be.

_Another curse._

Even if he couldn't die outright, he was no stranger to pain, nor it him. It was one of the few things that still let him feel like he was as real as anyone else.

"Come on, Johnny," Amy said softly as she put a shoulder beneath the crook of his arm.

For someone barely larger than half his size, she was strong. There was no struggle or tremors as she hoisted him back up to his full height. He lamented in his weakness while he attempted to walk on his own.

"Will you be okay?" she asked in her soft concerning voice.

"Maybe in a day or two."

More than ever he wished he had taken a few more things from the hospital's supply closet. Something to take the edge off the pain, something to help him focus. Johnny wasn't supposed to be the burden, he was supposed to be the savior. He could feel himself placing more and more of his weight onto her.

"Johnny," Amy began before she inhaled deeply, trying to see through the fog of what he was sure was the ill effects of the drug.

"Is it a headache Miss Rose?"

She nodded in visible pain.

"Reach into the left pocket of the jacket," Johnny wheezed, "something for the nausea."

Without even glancing at it, she had gulped it down, desperate for a reprieve.

"Johnny," Amy began again, "what should we do now?"

"We need to hide, Mrs. Rose, we need to hide. That will not be the last of them."

* * *

Thoughts on Amy and Johnny appearing more in this story? I wanted to mix things up a bit. Not sure how everyone feels about this duo. Reviews for better or worse appreciated.

Cheers,

M.D


	11. Down the Drain

His new partner was not nearly as capable as he would have preferred. In fact the scrawny man was nothing but a small step up from a child. Colin's stature rose a measly five feet from the ground, making him impressively short for a human. His longer than average nose made his face look stretched, which did nothing to detract from his blading head. Only a few wisps of hair remained, all of which were combed over to provide the illusion that nothing was wrong.

However, a lot of things were wrong, and not just with Colin's lack of hair. Even though they were cruising through down town Capital City in an armored vehicle, they were being chased more and more ferociously by the minute. It was a miracle the Dozer was still running, let alone chugging along like nothing ever happened.

The small arms fire that the coppers had managed to pepper the windshield with had finally begun to cause a few cracks. Although, that was the least of Tails' worries. The growing number of SWAT bots patrolling the street was alarming. They were machines that thrived on war and lived for their programmed purpose of destroying Mobians.

"Colin!" the kit barked as he swerved to avoid a car that ad pulled into his lane.

The man looked over at him, his bloodshot eyes readily conveying his stress level.

"Colin!" Tails yelled again. "Do you know how to work the gun?"

"What?" he sputtered.

His confusion wasn't unexpected. It was a dumb question. How many pampered press staff members were going to have any type of training on a military vehicle of this kind. Then of course there was the implication that a feared member of the Resistance was coercing the President into shooting at his own protection force.

"I need you to start shooting back at these SWAT bots."

"Why?" the short man asked dumb founded. "They're trying to save me."

Gripping the wheel hard, the fox fought to turn the massive vehicle down a larger street when another explosion jolted the APC forward. Together, the two unwilling comrades looked back to another new ding in the armor.

"Are they?" Miles asked genuinely.

Colin was still looking at the new dent, no doubt trying to figure that out from himself.

"Colin, if I wanted you dead, you would be dead," the two-tailed fox insisted, "but I don't know what these guys want, do you?"

"To save me," he repeated, only it sounded like he didn't believe it anymore.

"Colin! If you don't buy us more time, we're going to die. Not just me, both of us."

With trepidation, the short man reached for the targeting goggles above his head. Out of the corner of his eyes, Tail's could see the translucent screen light up with ballistic information. It seemed that the imprinting was of some use after all.

"Two o'clock!" the kit shouted hastily.

Colin turned his head and within seconds the twin barrel .50 caliber machine gun mounted to the top of the Dozer was spitting out armor piercing rounds that shredded the SWAT bot's armor. Before the twelve foot humanoid robot could return fire, it had been nearly cut in two.

"Why are there so many? Where are they coming from?"

"We positioned them all around the city to keep you out," the man sniveled unhappily. "They lay in wait for one of you fifthly animals to overstep."

Turning his gaze, Colin set his sights on a cruiser that had pulled in front of them.

"Don't!" Tails growled, "They don't need to die. Focus on the machines!"

"What do you care?" the short man asked as he reluctantly averted his gaze. "Everyone would think it was you anyway. More fame and glory for the infamous Miles Prower."

"Do you think that's what we're about?" the kit nearly laughed as he sped along. "Do you think we live to kill?"

"Why else would you and your friends have done what you did to me?"

"Colin," Tails began with a deep breath, "do you know the name of our organization?"

"The Freedom Fighters," he muttered like it was some cliché kitschy slogan.

"I don't care much for it either," the fox admitted, "but I care a lot about what it stands for. We fight for freedom and not just ours; for anyone's."

"What about me!?" the puny dictator replied as he used the targeting system to search the distance for more SWAT bots.

"I would have fought for yours too," Tails confessed. "If I knew. You didn't choose your life any more than I chose mine."

"Then surely you see they hypocrisy your friends have created."

"It's hard not to. It's also hard not to see what they were trying to accomplish when they brainwashed you… when they put that collar around your neck."

Only the growl of the engine filled the space between them before the kit continued, "One person's freedom in exchange for everyone's – in exchange for how many lives saved. It's a hard choice to make don't you think? Sacrificing what you believe in to make that same thing a reality."

Colin was still quiet.

"We're not your enemy, Colin."

"Don't lie to me you fifthly vermin! I won't make the same mistake my uncle did. Fiona may have fooled him, but I won't let you fool me!"

"Fiona told Julian what he wanted to hear," Tails said with a small smile at the mention of her name. "I'm telling you what you need to hear."

"Do you actually think I would forgive you, that I would forget that a bunch of Mobian thugs ripped me away from my home and strapped a bomb to my neck in the name of freedom?"

"No, I don't. Just like I won't ever forgive your uncle and the Dominion for what they did to my parents, for what they did to my home… for what they did to Fiona."

"More hypocrisy!" Colin retorted. "You expect me to stop fighting when all of you could just as easily do the same?"

"Maybe," the kit answered in a neutral tone, "but if we stop, we'll fade away into obscurity as you continue to kill us off one by one."

"And if the Dominion stops fighting?" Colin asked not bothering to challenge something he knew to be true.

"Things go back to the way they were before."

Colin paused a moment as he centered another SWAT bot in his vision. There was no way to give Colin back what was taken. Whether or not the fox was getting through to the short man was another story all together. He might have been easily spooked, but he would make a decent poker player.

Loud reports and brass clanking along the armored roof filled the cabin as another mech fell lifeless into the street in front of them.

"I can't remember what things were like before."

_Of course you can't, _Tails sighed, _no one can._

It was the last turn before his destination. Mashing his boot into the break he slowed the Dozer down to a speed where it could take a sharp city corner. The tires squealed as the backend swung around gingerly.

"Hold on," Tails said with no emotion, "this is going to get a little bumpy."

Moving his foot back to the gas, the APC began to once again thunder down the street. Nothing was in his way to slow him down.

The unending surge of speed began to worry his partner again. Eying the approaching building at the end of the street he began to hesitate, "What are you doing?"

Their speed was approaching the point of no return, but that's what Tails wanted. The Capital Bank was one of the largest buildings in the world, its glass façade stretching into the clouds far above the city. It was a mirror like prism that could be seen for hundreds of miles on a clear day.

"Stop!" Colin begged as the speedometer tore past 120 miles per hour (~200kmh).

The kit had no such plans. An immense amount of speed was required to get a vehicle like this airborne. The sidewalks surrounding the building were lined with steel columns and large concrete planters to keep vehicles away from the glass structure. However, the large section of stairs leading up to the courtyard of the building provided the perfect ramp to clear them.

"Are you insane!?" Colin shouted when their trajectory became clear.

It was comparable to hitting a wall when the front tires smashed into the first step. Thankfully the shocks and tires were designed for this type of urban abuse. The Dozer willingly flew up the stairs as civilians dove out of its path.

By now Tails had learned to drown out the cries of his wimpy partner. Colin hadn't stopped screaming since he realized that the fox had no plans to slow down. He managed to get even louder when their APC left the ground.

The physics of this jump were not on their side, but the Dozer seemed to be as determined to make it over the obstacles in front of them as Tails was. Grazing its rear bumper on one of the steel road blockers, the vehicle crashed back into the ground with a loud crunch. Immediately Tails moved his foot to the break, not that it would do much good.

If this building counted a mirror, he was breaking a big one, but he remained confident his luck wasn't going to get any worse. The sounds of screeching tires, shattering glass and high pitched screams filled the air. People were running in every direction, doing anything they could to get out of the APCs' path. In just a few seconds the Dozer had crossed the lobby, split the reception desk in two, and gone right through the plaster wall.

When the world stopped moving around him, Tails finally killed the engine. If he didn't know better the Dozer would have happily kept moving even if he didn't need it to. Grabbing Colin by the wrist he led him like a child to the back of the vehicle.

"We're only going to have a minute to do this, so don't slow me down."

With a kick, the kit smashed the switch to open the rear door. Folding downwards, it crushed the rubble under its weight.

Emerging from their hole in the wall, Tails quickly forced the dictator into a normally guarded secure corridor. Unsurprisingly the guards had left their posts in search of cover and a safer environment.

"Are we robbing a bank?"

"No," the fox snapped, "but we would be making it look easy if we were."

Despite being forcibly pulled into a stairwell, the man laughed, "We're going right for the vault?"

Even with a proper team, knocking off Capital Bank was a nearly impossible task. While they were off to a good start, the automated security was almost all that was required to protect the assets stored here. Biometric, weight, ambient temperature, and infrared sensors all lined the inside of the vault, each hooked up to their own independent network, which if triggered would seal the vault shut in under a second. There were too many variables in play to risk entering the vault with the intention of leaving again.

When they reached the landing, Tails ran down the long hallway towards the open vault. The only thing that separated him from millions of dollars in cash were jail styled bars with a sliding door. It was an electronic lock, over riding it was as easy as plucking the keycard from inside Colin's pocket and swiping it through the reader.

"Your turn to help," Tails smiled as he reached inside the short man's jacket.

Swiping the card was fun, but watching Colin's helpless expression was priceless. The lock chirped and the bars slip aside opening up the vault's staging area.

The Dominion had finally seen everything he wanted them to see. Spinning, the two-tailed fox removed his Beretta and took aim at the tiny black disks mounted to the ceiling. With the cameras gone, they would have no way to see where he went next.

Banks like this had more security than sense. He knew from the designs that there were still more security systems that had to be disabled before anyone could actually physically walk in the vault without the massive door snapping shut behind them. Perhaps Colin was counting on him making that mistake, but Tails had no intentions of stepping foot inside.

Removing a spare lock box from a near by table, the fox tossed it into the vault and watched as a six ton titanium door slammed shut.

"Come on," the kit shouted at his partner, dragging him back towards the stairs.

"Wait, I don't understand. What about the money?"

"I told you, we're not here to rob a bank."

With any luck they would think he was inside. That would keep the Dominion busy coming up with plans on how to breach one of the most secure rooms in the world without killing their less than fearless leader in the process.

"Then where are we going?"

Unknown to most was the fact that the stairs in this section of the Capital Bank went a little further down. There were no more vaults, but there was something even more valuable if you knew what you were looking for. Capital Bank was one of the few areas that had access to Kintobor's secret tunnels.

After three more flights of steps a non-descript but near impenetrable door was there to greet them. It was supposed to be locked off to anyone from the outside unless of course you had a master key, the very same Tails had taken from the sniveling man standing inches behind him.

A deadbolt disengaged after he slid it through magnetic reader. Gripping the handle, the kit wrenched the door open and threw Colin inside. Tails followed the whimpering and profanity into the darkness, letting the gate slam behind him.

Even for a fox, this was a dark place, devoid of even the faintest hints of light.

"What the hell is this?" the helpless man demanded as he felt his way around the ground on all fours.

"What do you care?"

"How come I don't know about this place?"

"I guess your uncle never bothered to share it with you."

"I can't see a thing."

"I would suggest you stop moving before you…"

The large splash indicated that his partner had found the edge of their walkway. There wasn't much in the way of guardrails in underground sewer systems such as these. However, wastewater transportation was just the guise these tunnels were constructed under. The dark corridors were far deeper than their ordinary counterparts linked up to dozens of other strategic points in the city. This was how Kintobor had moved around undetected for so long.

Sputtering and spitting Tails watched Colin pick himself up out of the shallow water.

"What is this fowl place?"

"The sewers, Colin, it's the sewers."

The man's sigh of defeat was palpable.

"Follow me," Tails began as he stepped into the water, "this storm drain should take us where we need to go."

"What's your plan now? We can't stay down here forever," Colin quipped as he trudged through the muck of the sewers. "What are you going to do when I start screaming for everyone's help?"

"I'll make you be quiet," the kit replied with an exasperated exhale.

"I don't get it, what are you trying to prove?" the man pleaded in desperation. "Are you going to kill me or not?"

Tails stopped a moment, forcing the human following him to come to a halt in the ankle deep murky green water.

"Do you want to die, Colin?"

"Of course not," he began before his voice lowered into a submissive tone, "but if I had to choose between that and being captured by Mobians again… What do you want from me?"

"You wouldn't understand," the two-tailed fox replied as he began his march again.

"I understand a whole lot more thanks to your friends. Just tell me so we can get this over with!"

At four stories below street level, Tails was not overly concerned that the man's raised voice would be anything more than a whisper if it reached the surface at all. With any luck, the Dominion would still be searching through Capital Bank's hundreds of floors and its impervious vault.

"Do you know what it's like to be lied to by people trust?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Colin snapped, "Or is this some kind of game?"

"Sonic and Sally blamed me for everything you know," the kit continued. "It was my fault that Fiona was captured, I'll admit to that. But then all the agents that she captured; those were my fault too. When I tried to kill Kintobor and he retaliated; everyone that died in those attacks were my responsibility as well."

By the end Colin was snickering to no end, chuckling at the kit's unending misfortune.

"It is kind of funny isn't it?" Tails added with a depressed smile. "I've been living all this time with the guilt over having lost hundreds of lives just because I let Sally put the thought there. The worst part is the only thing I truly cared about was loosing Fiona to Julian. In my mind she had been dead, but to find out she was chained to his very life was even more devastating. If she had been dead, I wouldn't have missed and no one else would have had to die."

The Sniveling man had stopped laughing when the fox started. The fox was growing more and more manic by the second. Although Tails was still unsure why he was sharing all of this with his new partner. Perhaps it was because he was listening.

"I don't understand," Colin replied slowly, "you wish Fiona was dead?"

"You're missing the point. The collar kept her alive and in a way it kept Julian alive too."

"So then you should be thanking me for delivering it to my uncle!"

"Maybe," the Mobian agreed. "I want make this all right again, Colin. I am done being lied to. It wasn't just my selfishness that caused all of this. You're my proof."

"Your proof for what?"

"When they put that thing on you, they never told me. You know why?"

He didn't have to look back to know the puny dictator was shaking his head.

"They knew that I would never have allowed it. It goes against everything we stand for. Forgoing those principles makes us nothing more than the animals you already see us as."

"Do you think you're better than us just because you have a moral compass? Look where that's gotten you! My uncle was able to do what needed to be done no matter the cost."

"No matter the cost," Tails repeated. "A decision like that denies someone the ability to live their own life and does nothing more than make them a pawn in a game they may very well not want to play. What was it like to live a life that wasn't yours?"

No response came, so the kit continued, "Sonic and Sally saw an opportunity to end a war without shedding any more blood, and they took it, but the moment we put that collar around your neck we became no better than Julian. I'm going to help them make this right again."

When the watery splashes behind him stopped, Tails knew Colin had figured it out.

"No, I'm not going back there! You will need to kill me first."

"It can be arranged," the kit assured him, "but if you trust me, that won't be necessary."

* * *

Not sure how writing this story got difficult, but it did. I am probably going to slowly shift the focus of the story over to tell a little more of the back Story of Amy and Sonic as well as the Johnnies. If anyone has any objections let me know because nothing is set in stone at this point. I already have the next chapter done, so I'll probably post it tomorrow night or the night after.

As always, your thoughts and or reviews are appreciated!

Cheers,

M.D


	12. Sassy

Sally could no longer control her pacing. The circles were growing tighter as she spun on her heels for the hundredth time.

_Where is he?_ The squirrel wondered frantically. _How come I haven't heard from him?_

Sonic was well past late on checking in. Despite his stubbornness he knew better than to make her worry, making this behavior troubling.

Glancing at Nicole, she itched to send a message to him but thought better of it. Her apprehension wasn't worth getting him caught.

_But what if they already have him?_ She pondered knowing it would only make a message more useless.

Sally could hear the hedgehog boasting in her head, laughing at her for even suggesting that someone could catch him. She wanted to believe this imaginary hedgehog, but it was difficult when no one had seen him in weeks.

"Nicole?" she asked aloud for the third time that hour.

By now the computer knew what she wanted.

"Sonic has not reported in yet, Sally. Would you like me to attempt to locate his whereabouts?"

Every bone in her body wanted to scream yes, but she had to resist. Sally couldn't do what Tails had done, she couldn't let her feelings get in the way. Having Nicole scour the networks searching for traces of the cobalt freedom fighter could put everyone at risk if the Dominion managed to trace anything.

With a deep breath she replied, "Not yet."

In the past he had gone missing for several days, but not a week, let a lone two. This was unusual and it scared her to no end. Thinking clearly was becoming harder by the minute. Without Sonic, hope was lost, both for her and all Mobians.

"Play it again," the princess demanded, hoping she could get something she hadn't out of the hedgehog's last message.

Without missing a beat, Nicole began playing a recording, "Hey Sal, it's me, but I guess who else would it be?"

Sally tried to fight off a smile, but she couldn't. His childishness always got to her, the sincerity of his lighthearted attitude was second to none.

"Fiona wasn't kidding about this guy. He's locked up nearly as tight as o'l Kintobor was, so this might take a while. Over and out."

_What was there to miss?_ She thought.

It was a very straightforward message, right to the point. At no time did he mention going into hiding or that he would even consider not sending her another update.

_Could Naugus have gotten to him first?_

Fiona had warned them both that Ixis was not a man you went up against without a plan and a lot of courage. Sonic, she suspected, only had one of those.

Sitting down in her chair, the squirrel tapped a few keys to bring up Nicole's encrypted link protocol. It would bounce her connection nearly a thousand times with encryption so strong all the world's computers couldn't decrypt the messages in her life time.

"Sally," the machine prompted her, "Is it wise to engage him?"

It wasn't, but it was the only choice she had left. If Ixis had Sonic, he would let her know soon enough. If he didn't then her contacting him would be just like any other day.

Ignoring the machine, the princess typed away.

ARCON-ARE YOU THERE?

It could be hours or even days before the man answered, but Sally was content to stare at the screen every second until then.

WARLORD-ISN'T IT PAST YOUR BED TIME?

The man was condescending at every turn. Even if there was a chance he respected her, Ixis saw the heir to the Acorn thrown as nothing more than a child.

ARCON-DAD SAID I COULD HAVE 5 MORE MINUTES.

The princess typed it out, feeling more miserable with each keystroke, but she wanted to play along with the mad man's fantasy of seeing her as she was 15 years ago. It had taken her years, but Sally had learned how to talk with him. It was a delicate dance, making sure never to take him too seriously. Ixis thrived on getting a rise out of his adversaries.

WARLORAND WHAT ABOUT ME? WILL YOU BE GIVING ME MORE TIME AS WELL?

_Oh no__,_ she thought, _does he know? _It was too well timed of a question so she opted to ask one of her own.

ARCON-IT DEPENDS, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF MINE?

Sally wanted to get right down to business before getting wrapped up in his games. Nicole however seemed to disagree with her tack.

"Sally," the machine prompted, "This does not seem wise."

_No it doesn't, _the squirrel agreed but pressed the return key anyway.

WARLORD-OH, YOU MEAN MY EXECUTIONER?

_Shit, well that answers that._

"It appears as if he is aware of your plan, Sally."

The squirrel took a deep breath As helpful as Nicole was, the princess had lost count of the times the machine stated the obvious. It could be trying at times and infuriating at others.

_She isn't human,_ the princess reminded herself.

"I see that," she replied, doing her best to mask the frustration.

ARCON-DO YOU HAVE HIM?

WARLORD-NO.

Sally wasn't expecting him to admit it outright. He would want to stretch this out longer, but she couldn't handle it any longer.

ARCON-LIER.

_How else could he know about their plans if he didn't have Sonic?_

"Caution Sally," Nicole warned in her monotone voice, "you might antagonize him."

"That's the point," she sighed.

This was a game about getting the other off balance. Now that everyone's cards were on the table it was time to start arguing over who was cheating.

WARLORD-I AM HURT.

ARCON-WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?

WARLORD-WHY NOT?

ARCON- YOU HAVE HIM!

Her emotions were starting to show. Ixis would have her for breakfast if she lost control of this conversation.

WARLORD- IF I HAD HIM, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN RECEIVING INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED QUILLS FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

_That's the Ixis I know._

ARCON-I PREFER FLOWERS, THEY LOOK BETTER IN A VASE.

WARLORD-I'LL KEEP THAT IN MIND, BUT SPEAKING OF TRUST…

ARCON-LIKE YOU WOULDN'T GET RID OF ME IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE.

WARLORD-YOU KNOW ME TOO WELL.

ARCON- WHO TOLD YOU?

WARLORD- I RAN INTO AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE. ODDLY ENOUGH THEY WERE LOOKING FOR THE SAME PERSON YOU ARE.

"Fiona!" Sally growled.

The squirrel should have known better than to trust that two timing fox. She was cunning to the bone and was more than a bad influence on Tails.

_Why is she looking for Sonic?_ Her inquiry was only raising more questions, not answers.

ARCON-WHERE IS HE?

WARLORD-WHY DO YOU THINK I KNOW?

ARCON-YOU KNOW EVERYTHING.

That was painful to type, but necessary if she wanted a response. Her father had taught her that humility was one of the best tools a leader had. By telling Ixis something he wanted to hear, we was more inclined to provide her with what she wanted in return.

WARLORD-THIS TIME, EVEN I AM IN THE DARK.

Sally wanted to doubt him, but couldn't. Ixis was sadistic and would seize any opportunity to torture her into submission. If he had Sonic, he would be putting the screws to him, and consequently her. Naugus wouldn't pass up on a chance like that. Even more strange was his willingness to admit he didn't know something.

ARCON-THIS IS A PROBLEM.

Surely the crime lord was smart enough to see past their petty disagreements.

WARLORD-IF SOMEONE HAS STOLLEN YOUR FAVORITE PINCUSSION, YOU AND I ARE PROBABLY NEXT ON THEIR LIST.

_Good,_ she sighed, _at least we agree on that._

ARCON-WHO HAVE WE PISSED OF RECENTLY?

Sally's mind selfishly went to Fiona. The princess couldn't move past the crimson fox's most recent betrayal, not to mention the fact she had nearly killed Sonic in the past. There were dozens of reasons the vixen could want either of them dead.

WARLORD-WHERE TO BEGIN?

ARCON-SOMEONE WITH REACH AND POWER.

WARLORD-THAT WOULD LEAVE EACHOTHER, THAT IS IF WE'RE NOT COUNTING COLIN, WHICH I DON'T THINK EITHER OF US ARE.

She had already come to the same conclusion. Something wasn't right.

ARCON-YOU SEE THE DILEMA NOW?

WARLORD-PERHAPS WE SHOULD MEET.

This was unprecedented. He stuck to the shadows, dealt with others through proxies and his thugs. Anyone who landed a face-to-face meeting with Ixis had pissed him off in a bad way. No doubt trying to kill him qualified, but this wasn't about that.

ARCON-DID I MISS SOMETHING? OR ARE YOU LONELY AND ON YOUR DEATH BED?

WARLORD-THE WAY THINGS LOOK, WE BOTH ARE.

_He has a point._

ARCON-WHERE?

WARLORD-NO INVITATION TO KNOTHOLE? I'M OFFENDED.

ARCON-THIS PLACE IS A MESS.

It was, but he knew as well as she did there was no way in hell a man such as himself was getting an invitation to the most well kept secret in the world.

WARLORD-SUCH A PITTY THE PRINCESS IS NO LONGER LIVING IN STYLE. YOU'RE WELCOME HERE AT THE BREAKER. I CAN WELCOME YOU BACK INTO THE LAVISH LIFE STYLE YOU WERE ONCE ACUSTOMED TO.

The princess nearly snorted in laughter, _not a chance. _

ARCON-I AM NOT DIM.

WARLORD-IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE THAT DINGY LITTLE DEN THEN.

She didn't know Ixis to associate with the Guardians, let alone show up on their doorstep. Something must have really spooked him. Or there was always the other possibility.

ARCON-IF YOU'RE LYING…

WARLORD-YOU WILL WHAT? TRY TO KILL ME?

ARCON-TRY WON'T BE PART OF THE EQUATION.

WARLORD-AWFULLY SASSY TODAY, PRINCESS.

* * *

Thought I would try something different to help break things up.

Cheers,

M.D


	13. Attitude

Some things were as hard to fight as the passage of time. Amy's smile had stopped him near in his tracks. Even at a blistering pace of nearly 200 miles per hour, he was able to make out the sheen of her quills radiating in the soft glow of a city sunset. Treading on her elongated shadow, he approached the city born hedgehog that appeared tough but not rough around the edges.

"A librarian," she assured him when Sonic asked what was left for her to do in the city.

"You mean with all the books and stuff?"

"Do you know of another kind?" she sassed him back, lifting her nose as she continued to walk down the sidewalk in an attempt to ignore him.

"Well no," the cobalt freedom fighter admitted as he paced around her to keep his blood flowing, "but a library, really?"

"Yes, really," Amy sighed. "They don't care that I'm a Mobian there."

"But there's a lot of people in Capital City that do," he pointed out.

"Then let them care."

Sonic smiled as he slowed down to match her pace. The tone in her voice was near as unmistakable as his own. If he had to guess, she had never backed down from a fight or given into an opinion that wasn't her own.

"Sonic," the blue hedgehog said calmly, reaching out a paw to introduce himself.

"I know who you are," Amy claimed as she let his handshake rot in the city air, "and I think it would be better for both of us if you just kept running."

"Woah, let's just slow things down a bit," Sonic exclaimed.

"Any slower and you be the slowest thing on the plant," she remarked, leaving a stunned hedgehog in her wake.

_The attitude on her,_ Sonic grinned to himself.

Creeping back up into conversation range, "Don't you want to know why I stopped to talk to you?"

"Not really. You're all the same. Chasing windmills and losing. Some of us are just trying to survive. Go bother someone that has nothing left to live for."

He paused a moment, lost temporarily on her analogy, "Every knight has his dragon."

It was her turn to stop, but she didn't say anything.

"And you can think we're as delusional as you like for trying to fight someone like Julian, but it won't stop us from trying. Don Quixote saw the enemies he wanted to, not the ones that were really there. Kintobor is real."

"I'm impressed," she responded, "but if you think Julian is your biggest enemy, then I'm afraid you're still as blind as he was."

"And who should I be fighting then?"

"It's not a who. It's a what," Amy replied as she changed directions into a substantially grimier part of town. "Kintobor's ideas will outlast him. They're what I battle every day."

"And you don't think they'll disappear when he does? When we show the world-"

"When you show the world what? That you can kill someone? You'll only prove his point, we're all animals. Do you think that people will stop looking at me like I don't belong here just because he's not around to tell them to be afraid anymore? Or will everyone continue to fear the pink hedgehog because that's what they have always done?"

Amy found a way to talk at him, not down to him. She had Sally's spark, but a way about her that made her presence a mystery that required solving. He smiled back at her to let the Mobian know he understood.

As he began to speed up, she called after him, "Wait!"

Looking back he waited for her response.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to," she relented.

Slowing back down until his pace matched hers, he reached his paw out again, "Sonic."

Accepting it with the most subtle of grins she replied, "Amy."

It was hard to tell the amount of time that had been stolen. Dreams flowed from one to the other, transporting him from memory to memory. Even when reality set it, it was hard to get a fix on where he was, intertwined between a moments of the past and present.

Waking from a chemically induced sleep was frightening, even to him. How long had he been the drugs holding him under? A day? A week? The hedgehog's awareness was at an all time low as he emerged from his nightmares once again. The unending torrent a dreamscape thrust upon him equated to another lifetime, ensuring he still had no idea where he was in this one.

The steel bracers that bound him to the wall had rubbed his skin raw, even the smallest of movements could spark untold amounts of pain. The floor had managed to amass a small helping of his quills, their fading cobalt color shimmering strongly against the black stone floor of the dungeonous room. All he could now was try to stay still and watch with distain as the fat man approached, his characteristic scowl growing larger with every step closer.

"And how are we today, hedgehog?"

"You forgot my coffee, again," Sonic replied with his own smirk.

If Julian was trying to break him, he was going to have to try harder. A strong dose of Night Shade was one way to rob him of time and strength, but he still had his sanity.

With a low rumble that was barely passable for laughter, "Good help can be hard to find, but I promise, I'm working on that."

A quick glance left than right revealed he was still alone. Thankfully the fat slob hadn't gotten to any of his friends yet.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry I haven't found anyone to keep you company yet," Robotnik replied, noticing his wondering gaze. "So many things to do, it's difficult really."

_Do they even know I'm gone?_ Sonic wondered as he resisted the urge to lunge at Kintobor. _Sally has to know, even Tails._ Or at least so he hoped. The resistance fighter still wasn't sure how long he had been down here. Any longer than a week and Sally would start to get suspicious that something was up.

"Now that those pesky foxes aren't so busy looking for one another, they're much harder to keep track of."

_Excuses,_ he longed to say aloud.

"They're running amuck in my city! As if they owned it! Meanwhile my nephew sits around and does nothing. He may as well hang a sign up welcoming all you vermin back in."

Sonic watched him silently, fascinated by the mad man's tirades.

"What did all of you hope to accomplish with your resistance? Did you expect to win?"

"Didn't we?" the cobalt freedom fighter asked?

"Winning a battle is hardly the same as a war."

"You're dead," Sonic had the audacity to remind him, "don't forget that."

"Forgotten our last conversation so quickly?"

"Tell yourself whatever you like, robuttnik. Your not any more alive than any of your machines?"

"And what does that make you?" he asked, grabbing his muzzle, tilting it side to side.

The Mobian didn't have the strength to fight back. He was reduced to this demeaning examination of his existence.

"I'm more alive than you'll ever be!" Sonic found the strength to yell, "Than you ever were."

"Delusional, I see. If only I could show you the things I have discovered. The future is whatever you want it to be, or, well, whatever I want it to be. So many decisions to make."

"Don't let me keep you."

"On the contrary, Sonic, on the contrary. Perhaps you misunderstand your purpose in all of this."

_My purpose? _

"Despite the fact that little bitch bit me, the very hand that fed her, I do miss having a pet of my very own. I've been considering a replacement for some time."

"I'm not weak like Fiona," the blue quilled Mobian spat, "I'd die before I lifted a finger for you."

"Of course," Julian answered as he folded his arms behind his back, "but what about your friends?"

Looking left and then right again, Sonic couldn't help but notice the consistent lack of prisoners, in particular those that may allow the slovenly excuse for a man to leverage him one way or the other.

"Not those friends, hedgehog, these!" the man roared with laughter as he motioned to the wall on his left."

Another series of tubes lined the wall, each with a figure suspended in the green gelatinous material. In the few moments he was awake previously, he had never noticed them. However, the silhouettes they housed were nowhere near big enough to be Kintobor. As the overhead lights continued to flicker on Sonic's eyes adjusted, slowly widening in disbelief.

_They're not him… he - he cloned me…_

"Perfect copies, all of them, just waiting to be woken up. What do you think they'll say?"

"But – but," the hedgehog sputtered searching for words, "they're still me, they wouldn't…"

"Are they? You might think that, but they're nobodies, Sonic, just like you. They don't have memories, just a shell waiting for some meaning to be injected. I doubt they would do anything but scream at the site of their own shadows, that is if they got past figuring out how to breathe. Totally useless in this form unfortunately. I might not be able to make you do my bidding, but they will soon enough."

"Keep dreaming, Kintobor. There isn't a version of me that would listen to a fat piece of shit like you."

"It's funny you say that," the fat man asked as he stepped to the side revealing a metallic Mobian that had been standing behind him whole time. "What about this one, do you think he'll listen?"

The creature, even with its platinum sheen bore a striking resemblance to Sonic. It was like looking in some twisted fun house mirror that roboticized anyone in the reflection. Iron quills lined its back, titanium bones for a skeleton, hydraulics for muscles, and red glowing lights recessed in its eye sockets. It was as by far the doctor's most menacing creation to date.

"What's the matter, Sonic? Nothing funny to say to one of your brothers?"

_That can't be me._

"Did I mention that I found a way to make him even faster than you? Stronger too," Julian laughed with giddy excitement. "Whatever god can build, I can build it better."

Kintobor had been attempting to play a divine role for so long it was only a matter of time before he took another step up the latter. Executioner had been easy for him, but it seems as if he now had mastered creator as well.

"Do you desire a demonstration?" the egg shaped man asked when Sonic couldn't be bothered to redirect his stare.

This whole time the freedom fighter had been scared he might never see the light of day again. That selfish feeling was now replaced with the knowledge that there was no limit to Robotnik's reach. As if clones of him weren't enough, they had been Roboticized, made to be stronger than he ever was. Anything that Sonic ever was, was now Kintobor's to use as he saw fit.

_What are you?_ Sonic nearly asked aloud, hoping the machine might be more Mobian than robot.

"How about that coffee, Sonic?" Julian asked before glancing at the robot.

In the instant it took the Mobian to blink his eyes the gloomy creature had vanished and reappeared holding a saucer with a tiny espresso cup. It locked eyes with him, as if to challenge him in everything that it meant to be him.

Sadly he couldn't even find a way to win the staring match. The gaze of its unshifting red eyes were hauntingly devoid of emotion, much the way Robotnik's were. There was no predicting what it was capable of and Sonic was forced to look away in shame.

Accepting the porcelain cup from his servant, Kintobor sipped obnoxiously loud on his new hand delivered beverage, "Would you believe it's from Summer Side Heights?"

Sonic scoffed at the notion. It was one of Capital Cities most affluent Suburbs. Not even on his best day was he that quick.

"I'm still fine tuning him," the doctor lamented, "it's not like there's a manual for programming super sonic robotic hedgehogs lying around. On the bright side, he is considerably more obedient than that fox ever was. Isn't that right?"

The metal Sonic failed to remove its unrelenting stare or form any type of response at all.

"It can't talk," Julian shrugged, "but the last thing I need is to hear your voice more than I have to."

Sonic could feel the breaking point Julian was striving for inching closer. The doctor had been smart. No amount of pain or torture could have broken him, the hedgehog was too proud. There however, lay his weakness. Julian managed to take away everything that it meant to be Sonic the Hedgehog. Nothing was left for him to do but rot away in a mad man's dungeon wallowing in self pity.

"I know things can get lonely down here," Kintobor quipped as a smile eased its way across his smug face, "so I'll leave your new friend down here so you two can chat."

All the light followed the fat man as he retreated to the other end of his lab and out the door. The only thing left to keep him company was a pair of unyielding red eyes. Giving up wasn't his style even if it was his only option. Stronger, faster, smarter, it didn't matter, the machine lacked soul and attitude. The cobalt freedom fighter, however, had both in abundance.

With his sanity bordering on non-existent, Sonic leaned in as far as he could before whispering, "Even on my worst day, I'd turn you into bucket of bolts."

* * *

It's been a while. Hopefully I'll have more to follow next week. I'm doing my best to balance time between this and my other story, Fatal Abyss. I'm also going to inject a little more history between Amy and Sonic in the next couple of chapters. Thoughts?

Cheers,

M.D


	14. Snap

"Hide?" the pink hedgehog questioned him. "Shouldn't we be running?"

That's what he had been doing from the very start, just not with as much success as he initially hoped.

"I'm afraid I'm in no condition to do more than shuffle, Miss Rose," Johnny responded as he winced through the pain. "The motel room is just down the block. I doubt they have found it yet."

The guardian had done everything to mask his presence in this city. Paid with cash for every purchase, limited his time in public, and minimized his interactions with anyone besides an up until recently unconscious hedgehog.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked again, her concern still very present.

If he had to guess, it was his diminishing strength. Just because he couldn't die didn't mean his body didn't behave like a normal humans. Blood loss lead to weakness and a questionable state of consciousness. Needless to say, a hole in the heart was a quick way to get rid of a lot of blood if you were in a hurry.

"I just need to rest," he insisted, forcing himself to place one foot in front of the other.

There was no helping the growing weight in his steps or the color fading at the edge of his vision. Without Amy's help, he would have already collapsed, becoming hopeless until an EMT decided to do their job.

_Great,_ Johnny sighed, _the last thing I need is to wake up in a morgue, again._

It was difficult to keep track of the number of times he had woken up on a cold steel table, naked save for the white sheet some city work had wrapped him in. Death was no easy thing to undo, yet The Source found an excuse to display its power each and every time.

Inching closer to their room, Johnny wanted nothing more than to lie down in the musty sheets and sleep. He was useless in this condition, and until The Source found the time to mend his injuries he was going to stay that way. He watched as the tiny pink hedgehog pushed open the door to their tiny room. It was largely the same save for the two heavily armored bodies on the floor, dead or incapacitated he couldn't tell.

"I thought you said they didn't know about this place?"

_I didn't think they did,_ but he didn't have the strength or will to say it. Even then, that wasn't what was on his mind. He didn't recall redecorating the room with highly trained soldiers before he last left. Two armor clad Dominion agents littered the floor of his newest home. Someone other than Julian's finest had been here looking for them. Johnny longed to open his mouth and tell the pink quilled Mobian as much, but the power to form words was no longer with him.

Stepping inside their only possible refuge, Amy quickly leaned him down on the bed, their roles now reversed. Ripping the buttons off his blood soaked shirt, the Mobian grimaced when she saw the wound. Blood flowed freely from the hole in his chest until Amy pressed down firmly with a damp washcloth.

"You didn't do a very good job covering your tracks," a voice came from the corner of the room.

The outline of another Mobian moved about the red tinged shadows until it reached the soft light let in through the open door. Shutting it gently, the vixen stepped into the feint light of the dimly lit room.

Amy appeared as if she wanted to scream, her breath now racing as her eyes shot to every part of their enclosure looking for a way out.

"How bad is he?" Fiona asked approaching the man.

"Stay away from him!" the hedgehog growled as tears began to form in her eyes. "Just stay away!"

The velvet fox paused, unsure of what to say.

"I know who you are! Sonic warned me about you!" the quiled Mobian continued.

Fiona did her best to smile under the circumstances, "It's a little more complicated than that now. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then why bring your friends?" Amy asked as she stole a glance at one of the Dominion Agents who were still lying motionless on the floor.

"My friends," Fiona sighed deeply. "Who do you think did that to them?"

"I don't care who did it to them! I won't be made into one of Kintobor's little pets. I won't let him use me against Sonic."

The vixen laughed as she attempted to sit down next to Johnny, "let me help you with that."

Almost immediately, Amy lashed out, but despite her strength and speed, Fiona was quicker. Catching her arm like one would a child's. The red-furred fox appeared to be growing short on patience.

"Miss Rose," Johnny coughed upon seeing their struggle turn physical, "you should trust her."

Working in his industry meant you knew everything. Fiona had been a Freedom Fighting in the making for years, but had been forced into a life of servitude instead. Johnny had always admired her resolve, hanging on to even the smallest threads to make a difference when it mattered most.

"I don't work for him anymore," Fiona replied strongly, "I was the one who killed him."

"All the good that did, considering he's still alive," the hedgehog scoffed.

He had been longing to ask Amy that very question. Was he the only one that had seen the doctor? Or was it just part of his dream? It appeared now as if Amy had seen him too, making the world they lived in dramatically scarier.

"Trust me when I tell you he isn't, I put a bullet in his head."

"Are you sure you didn't miss like Tails? You foxes seem to…"

The vixen put a single finger to Amy's lips, silencing her. The sound of armored boots could be heard trudging along the uneven sidewalk.

"Even a blind man could have followed the trail of blood you two left behind," Fiona lamented as she picked herself up off the bed.

Johnny watched from his bed as the fox exited the room with the calm and cool demeanor he had only ever seen on the likes of Tails. The world would have anyone believe she was a cold-hearted killer, but that was no truer of him than her. Fiona was a product of her circumstances, forced to live a life as a bounty hunter with no remorse. Whether it's what she wanted however, didn't stop her from being good at it.

"What the hell?" a random voice blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

After that, all that could be heard was the sound of steel plating clattering to the ground amidst the grunts of a one-sided struggle. There was a brief moment of silence followed by solitary gunshot cutting through the ominous atmosphere. This far out in the west that type of thing could be overlooked, but in light of recent events it was bound to eventually draw some attention.

Together he and Amy waited with untold anticipation to see who would walk in the room next. With the curtains pulled shut everything was a mystery, leaving them to the horrors of their imaginations. While neither appeared surprised when the fox returned, both he and the hedgehog exhaled deeply in relief.

Wiping stray droplets of blood from her face with the backside of her paw, Fiona responded to the argument they never finished, "Tails only missed because I made him, and I assure you, I did not miss, I watched Kintobor die."

She said it in such a way that there was no question as to her sincerity. It had only taken a few hours for the whole world to find out that Julian's pet had been the one to do him in, which was a shock to no one. Caging an animal with her level of cunning and willpower was dangerous. Reciprocity was the least he could have expected if she ever got loose.

"Could Julian be a guardian?" Amy asked turning to face the man bleeding out in the hotel bed. "Maybe he can't die like you?"

It hurt to laugh, but a thought like that was humorous, "Dr. Kintobor, take orders from something else beside himself? I doubt it."

"I am not sure you understand what dead means," the vixen growled as she began to rip the bed sheets into smaller pieces.

"No," Johnny responded, "I'm afraid Miss Rose is right. Dr. Kintobor is not as dead as we believed."

Fiona stopped mid tear, switching her focus to him. Her stare was burrowing deep into his soul, searching for any part of Johnny that might be lying.

"Who do you think took Sonic?" Amy added rhetorically, as if that much were obvious.

Johnny watched the fox mull it all over in her mind. For anyone who hadn't seen the man, let alone the person who killed him, being told he was still alive was bound to be a shock. Ignoring them, Fiona returned to her work, shredding the cloth into smaller strips. The guardian suspected she might take additional convincing.

"Roll him on his side," the vixen barked, "we don't have a lot of time."

He could feel their paws at work, wrapping his chest with makeshift bandages. Breathing deeply he fought off the pain as they tightened fabric, making it especially harder to exhale. It took every ounce of his concentration to prevent himself from slipping back into a dream world he longed to visit again.

When she was done, the vixen took a hold of his face with a grip that might as well been Knuckle's, guiding his eyes to hers she asked, "Are you still there, Johnny?"

The only thing he could do was nod. Up until now he had never seen the Red Shadow in person. The fox was an urban legend, with roots in Capital City nearly as deep as that of the Guardians. Yet here she was in his room and if he had to guess, to save him and Miss Rose.

Maybe it was because he was human, but he never could see what Miles was after in her. She was just another injured fox. Not physically, but there were several unhealed emotional wounds, some fresh, while others were older and deeper. The Mobian did, however, have the kind of curves that might make a woman attractive, perhaps the smile too. Even now she wore a charismatically wry grin that told more than she let on.

_Miles is a sucker for the broken ones,_ Johnny concluded, not that he was one to judge. The man was as broken as anybody. What he would give for someone to care about him was indeterminable. For now he would have to settle for The Source.

Fiona was quick to point out the obvious, "we need to go, there will be more of them."

"I can't move," Johnny replied bluntly.

With the bleeding stemmed, the color was returning to his world, but his strength was still illusive.

"I thought Guardians couldn't die?" the red-furred fox inquired while looking at his sorry state.

"We can't, but it doesn't mean we don't bleed like the rest of you."

"Can you pick him up?" Fiona asked of the hedgehog.

The rose colored Mobian nodded her head in response.

"Good, get him ready."

Johnny watched as Fiona exited the room, carefully stepping over the bodies that still lay strewn about the floor.

"Come on, Johnny, up you go," Amy began as she wrapped her paws around his back.

With her shoulder pressed into his side and an arm around his waist, the two of the made for the exit.

"You're sure we can trust her, Johnny?"

"Yes," he replied before coughing up more blood.

Some sounds were so unique you knew what was making them before they arrived. The man wanted to laugh when he heard the distinct rattle and the squeak of an uneven wheel. Stepping out into the overcast day he raised free hand to shield his eyes from the light as he looked down the sidewalk. The velvet fox nearly appeared maternal as she pushed a shopping cart down the side of the road, her tail wagging in a gentle breeze.

"Fiona," Johnny gasped through a shortened breath, "I sincerely hope you have a plan."

"You're the Guardian, it's time to pull your weight," the fox replied as she helped Amy lower him into the metal basket.

"Pull my weight? I can barely stand."

"Why don't you use some of those special powers and dress us up a little?"

"I can't use them on others," he sighed, shifting his weight uncomfortably from side to side.

The man barely fit into the cart, his legs bent over the side like some type of discarded manikin.

"Bullshit," the fox retorted loudly, "They told me you couldn't leave the city, but here you are, a thousand miles from home. How?"

"I…" he began only to be cut off.

"They told me you couldn't use your powers to influence anything but your own safety, but you were able to save her. How?"

"I - I don't know."

"The rules don't apply to you like they used to, Johnny. Can't you see that?"

She was moving him at break neck speed, every rock and bump felt like a hammer hitting his back.

_These contraptions were never mean to be ridden in._

"Any day now, Johnny," Fiona muttered under her breath as they approached a busy intersection.

He had never had to disguise others before and still wasn't sure if it was possible. Closing his eyes he conjured the only thing that might make sense, wrapping the light around the three of them.

"Not bad," Amy exclaimed as they moved past a glass storefront.

Johnny turned his head just in time to catch a glimpse of his reflection. An injured Dominion Agent laying on a gurney being pushed down the street by a medic and a fellow agent.

_Not bad,_ he agreed quietly to himself.

It took a lot more concentration. No longer was it like putting on a new piece of clothing. He had to keep track of disguises for three people and an object all at once.

_Amy, armor. Fiona, medic. Me, armor. Shopping cart, gurney._ The thoughtslooped in his head on repeat. If he hadn't spent so much time casing the hospital it might not have even been possible. He had seen this scene played out a dozen times as emergency worked rushed patients in to the waiting hands of ER staff. The only difference now was that they were wondering the streets aimlessly.

"Come on people, move it," Fiona barked at pedestrians who seemed content to stand in their path.

It was hard to tell if the illusion was working. Everyone was looking at them as if they didn't belong. However, even with their current disguises they didn't. The Dominion were hated nearly as much as the Resistance in this town, so regardless of what people saw, they were going to stare.

Spinning the cart down an alley, the vixen aimed the towards a rusty painters van.

"Johnny," she whispered while nodding to the van.

_You can't be serious._

"I'm not sure I can do that much at once," he complained

Grimacing, he managed to make lights appear on the top along with the traditional EMT badges on the back. It was enough to make an average person feel a little safer about two random people wheeling an injured solider down a tiny street.

Amy opened up both doors before helping Fiona tip the cart into the backend. Johnny nearly cried out in pain as collapsed onto the floor of the van.

_Certainly an ordinary person would have died now, right?_

It was beyond him how the human body could endure so much, especially when as far as he could tell there was nothing left for him to live for. Johnny had watched things like love and revenge see people through the most trying of times. His wasn't fortunate enough to have such an excuse. Who would believe that a divine entity would deign to interfere so directly in the life of such a meaningless mortal.

The hinge of the driver door creaked as it opened and shut. With Amy still at his side, he could only assume it was Fiona in the driver seat. The hedgehog's paws pulled him upright, scooting him to the side. Leaning his weight on the steel paneling, the man could finally breathe a sigh of relief and release these hideous disguises.

"Where will we be going, Miss Fox?" Johnny asked now that he finally had enough room in his brain to think.

The vulpine was quick to disappear below the dash, shredding the wires behind the instrument cluster until she found what she was looking for. With a grin she listened to the engine gurgle into existence.

"You tell me. You're the local."

It was then that he noticed the small leather pack strapped to her back. She had spent so much time in the shadows, real or manufactured he had failed to notice it before. They were almost a ubiquitous part of the Resistance uniform. That was, if you were in its upper most ranks. Johnny had seen Tails, Sonic, and even Sally all with very similar bags, the contents of which always eluded him.

Dropping the shifter into gear, Fiona pulled forward until she reached the other end of the alley. Turning onto one of the main roads, the red fox checked her mirrors for uninvited guests.

"I'm afraid I don't remember much about this town," Johnny admitted between labored breaths.

He watched her gaze shift between the road and the mirror, occasionally locking with his through the reflection.

"What were you doing out here Johnny? Why run all this way?"

He had asked himself the same question a dozen times over the last week.

"I - I don't know…" he muttered, unwilling to admit the truth.

"If you wanted to keep Amy safe, why not go back to The Den? No one can touch you there."

"I was searching for myself," he said plainly.

The look on her face told him it sounded every bit as ridiculous as he thought it might.

"Find anything?" the vixen asked, only half as sarcastic as he was expecting.

"No," he exhaled, not knowing where to begin. "I just know a part of my life used to be here and I thought if I came back here I might find it."

It was true. Brining Miss Rose this far out into the middle of nowhere was not as much of an accident as he wanted to pretend. Johnny was attempting to reconstruct his life so he could try it all over again. While a Mobian was a far cry from the daughter he may have had in the past, Amy seemed to fill the void that no drug ever could.

The icy stare that confronted him in the mirror was the same lack of understanding Johnny got from everyone. No one ever thought about things for his perspective, the perspective of a Guardian.

"There was no subtle fade in or childhood memories for me. I woke up naked in a city morgue without a purpose."

He let that set in, as both Mobian's ears perked up, eager for more.

"Do you know what it's like not to die, Miss Fox? What it's like to leave a life you never knew you had behind? What it's like to have a gap so large in your memory that the only thing you can remember is waking up and existing?"

Her gaze had shifted uneasily, its intensity diminished to almost nothing until it found the road again.

"No," Fiona replied softly, "I don't."

"I've felt enough pain to fill five lives and that's not counting the one I can't remember."

"You're barking up the wrong tree," the vixen replied gruffly. "Until you've done the things I have had to do…"

Johnny wasn't looking for sympathy. He should have known better than to press her on the issue of pain, especially of the emotional variety.

"Like sell us all out," Amy whispered softly, but still loud enough for the fox to hear.

Surprisingly, there was no response, only the hum of an engine that needed repair.

"Was it worth it?" the hedgehog pressed. "Did you even care?"

"Miss Rose," the Guardian tugged at her shoulder, "It's best not to metal in things you don't fully understand."

"Oh I understand them just fine. Fiona sold us all out so she could keep living. One life for thousands."

If Johnny didn't know better he could see a tear rolling down the vixen's cheek, but she was too strong to let another find its way down the side of her muzzle.

"If I told you how sorry I was and that I regretted everything, would you forgive me?" the fox asked, her tone racked with sincerity.

"No," Amy replied bluntly.

"And I have no doubt Princess Sally will have a similar opinion of you."

Even with a pounding headache, the hedgehog let out a vicious growl, "How dare you…"

Johnny recognized a bad situation when he saw one, "Ladies!"

Fiona knew a fair bit more about Amy that she had initially indicated. All along she had paid the Mobian no mind, focusing solely on getting Johnny out alive. The Red Shadow was well regarded for doing her homework, but knowing something like that was far from common information. Sonic had paid the Johnnies a lot of money to keep any information about her away from everyone, Resistance or otherwise.

"But she knows about," Amy begged before the guardian cut her short.

"I know, and it doesn't matter. You two are going to have to try and get along."

"For what it's worth, no one else knows…" Fiona muttered softly as she braked for a stop light.

"But you just said you were going to tell the princess."

"I doubt I will have to when this all over. Besides, it's not my place."

Johnny let the silence between them settle in. It was boring riding in the back, even with Miss Rose. The windowless rear of the vehicle didn't afford him any sense of direction. Even if he peered between the two front seats, he wasn't able to see much out the windshield, only the war torn landscape of a city never repaired. Soon enough even that left them behind as their vehicle wondered further into the out skirts of town.

"Where are you taking us?" Miss Rose finally asked.

A massive billboard crept by as their vehicle slowed to a roll. Its color was near faded, but it was still possible to make out the blue river flowing around a snow capped mountain.

"Blue Flow Steel," Johnny commented as they pulled into the abandoned compound.

Rust clung to every surface adding a dull vermilion tinge to the landscape.

"I thought all this was new to you?"

"It feels like déjà vu. There's something in the back of mind trying to claw its way out."

The vixen's eyes darted between him and the refinery repeatedly. No doubt his less than ideal mental state made him hard to trust.

_I am a guardian after all…_

"Before the war, this place was what put Rocksburrow on the map," Fiona began, answering the questions he didn't think to ask. "Rocksburrow was where many of the Mobians fled. So logically Kintobor nearly flattened it in attempt to root out the Resistance."

"I know about that part," Johnny was quick to comment.

_I was there._

"To make things right, Julian offered to rebuild everything, but it's debatable how well that's worked out. Miles blew up the second factory and even before that this place was a shadow of its former self. Now there is almost nothing left."

"Why here then?" Amy asked.

"It's out of the way and the Resistance has used it the past to move people and supplies. The rail yards are just on the other side of this building."

"And then what?" Amy challenged the fox, "where do we go next?"

"Back to Capital City."

"No," both the human and quilled Mobian replied in unison.

"I'm never going back there," Johnny continued. "Not as long as I can be free."

The hedgehog nodded in agreement.

"I don't think you two understand how this works," Fiona replied stubbornly, "I save your asses, and then I take you where it's best for everyone."

"How could Capital City be best for everyone?" the Guardian pleaded, "didn't we just get done telling you Julian is still alive? Why could you possibly want to go back there?"

"I don't care if he's immortal, running away now isn't going to help anyone but yourselves. Johnny and Knuckles made it clear that I have to bring you back."

_They must be desperate if they're sending her to do their dirty work. Fiona isn't high on their list of favorite people._

"In exchange for what?" he asked, knowing their must be something motivating her.

"What does it matter to you?"

"It matters quite a bit, Miss Fox."

Desperate people were never careful with their words. Johnny had learned to read between the lines and listen to what was not said. A necessity for negotiating with the shallow types he often dealt with.

Raising his voice, he went on the offensive, "You have the audacity to go as far as to accuse us of being selfish when this whole charade could be for your own personal gain. What does brining us back alive get you exactly?"

"Miles," she replied bluntly.

_That's why he isn't here, that's why she is so persistent. _

"What happened to him?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," the vixen growled as she wrenched open the door of the van.

With a sharp slam, the vulpine left them in the vehicle to stew. Johnny had seen what Fiona would do in the past when people got between her and Miles, and he was inclined to follow her for that reason alone. With Julian running around, especially unknown to the resistance, anything could have happened to the kit.

"Come on Miss Rose, I don't think we should keep her waiting."

"Do you really think we can trust her?"

"Right now I am not sure we have a choice. We would be dead without her."

With a sigh, the quilled Mobian threw open the rear doors before hopping down on to the dusty gravel. Inching his way along the floor of the vehicle Johnny accepted Amy's out stretched paw.

Unsurprisingly it was quieter. The derelict steel yard had been picked clean for anything useful long ago, leaving behind the skeleton of a once state of the art factory.

"Miss Fox," Johnny yelled after the vulpine.

Her attempts to put distance between them were not deterred by his pleas. The vixen tightened the straps on her leather pack, hoisting it higher on her shoulders almost as if to shrug him off.

"I think it's important to consider what could be happening in Capital City right now," he shouted after her. "Is that really where you want to be?"

"Where I want to be?" her voice echoed off the large steel structure in front of them. "No, but it's where I need to be. If Dr. Kintobor is rounding up resistance fighters we need to stop him."

"Yes, but I am not sure there is much we can do."

Stopping, the fox turned on her heels, "Do you know what he does with prisoners? With Mobians?"

Both he and Amy shook their heads. Those types of things rarely made it out of Dominion headquarters.

"I do, and it doesn't end well, especially for the Resistance. They're dead inside of two weeks and wishing they were after one. If he has Miles…"

"Or Sonic," Amy was quick to point out.

"And I for one would not like to find out what he would do with a Guardian."

"You can't die, she reminded him."

"And neither can he apparently. The difference is I feel pain yet he thrives on it."

"If it's the pain you're scared of, I can help."

"I'm afraid only the source is capable of removing that burden."

Crossing her arms, Fiona's wry, nearly cynical smile crept up the side of her face suggesting she for a change knew something he didn't.

"Miss Fox," he began only to be cut off.

"Fiona," she said in an annoyed tone.

"Fiona, I don't wish to argue, but perhaps there is another way," he begged.

"You can argue all you want but the next train leaves in two hours. Both of you will be on it," the vixen stated firmly.

Guardian or not he wasn't about to raise a hand to the Red Shadow. If nothing else, the threat of having both her and Tails nipping at his heels was enough to make him go along with her crazy plan. Johnny only wished that there had been a purpose to this trip. He had gained nothing by dragging Miss Rose halfway across the country. The man still wasn't anymore sure of whom he was then he used to be.

Amy clung to his side as they neared the entrance to the foundry. Nothing about this place felt right and if he didn't know any better it had all the makings of a trap.

_We can trust her,_ Johnny reminded himself again, realizing that if Julian was alive, perhaps so too was Fiona's unwelcomed alliance with him.

Moving beneath the massive structure's shadow the air grew colder. This factory was a ghost town on to itself. Entering through the massive gates once used for large equipment, the trio was swallowed whole by the gutted factory floor. Only steel pillars and items too large to move remained.

Almost naturally they all separated, exploring their new surroundings. Johnny's eyes gravitated towards the small room tucked away on the side. It appeared to be an old break room, complete with uneven tables and bent chairs.

He could hear the hedgehog's tired footsteps lagging behind his. There wasn't much to look at save for the old and deteriorating bulletin boards. Schedules from nearly twenty years ago clung to the wall. Overnight everything had been abandoned and left to rot. Moving his way along the perimeter his eyes were drawn to one object in particular.

"Look at this," he whispered to no one but himself.

Plucking an old photo from the wall Johnny did his best not to stare, but it was hard considering he was looking at a ghost. Twenty of Blue Flow Steel's foremen stood shoulder to shoulder with vague semblances of smiles on their faces and soot on their brows.

_These were men of Rocksburrow,_ he thought proudly.

"What is it Amy asked as she rummaged around what was left of the kitchenette.

"It's me."

Or at least he thought it was. The man third from the left could easily pass for him, only a two decades younger. Not to mention the caption, which read 'Cye Roberts.'

_The dreams were right… or am I just seeing what I want to see?_

Johnny had made it very clear that The Source had a way of making people do exactly what it wanted. It was possible that it had given him these false memories just to give him some purpose, a purpose it no doubt needed.

"What do you mean it's you?" the hedgehog laughed.

"I mean I think I used to work here, look."

There was no mistaking she saw it too. Even despite the years the photo had spent fading into obscurity, the image was still clear enough to see what was evidently a younger Johnny.

"You two find anything?" Fiona yelled from the old mill floor.

Her voice echoed around the empty chamber obnoxiously, nearly begging that he put his hands to his ears.

"No," Johnny answered reluctantly, not wanting to bother the vixen with his story.

"Well that's a shame," a new voice replied.

Looking out the door, he could see Fiona turn around to face their newest visitor.

There was still too much machinery in the way of the entrance to get a clear view. Stepping out into the main room, Johnny inched his way forward until he could peer around a massive lathe.

"Adam," the vixen chuckled, "I thought you were dead."

"Nah, the doc fixed me up real good on the account of my loyalty and all. Shame you had to go and kill him. Colin just ain't the same."

Three dominion soldiers, all in full armor. If he weren't still recovering, this might be a fair fight, but given their current disadvantages this wasn't looking good. Red Shadow or not, this was going to take some kind of miracle.

"Adam," Fiona sighed, "you never were better than Foxtrot, what makes you think you are now?"

"Mostly on the account of I got this armor on and a lot more guns than you."

Johnny couldn't help but admire how quick she was. If he blinked he would have missed the fox drawing her weapon. The .50 AE round put a ring in his ears, its intolerable bark echoing off the metal siding in all directions.

Fiona must have been expecting more to happen, because she had confused look on her face.

"Like I said, I got this armor on," a soldier laughed, "the doc made it real special, so it's going to take more than your little toy gun to go through it."

"Johnny," the vixen yelped, "I think I am going to need some of your help."

"Running to your Guardian? How cute. Did you miss your human so much you had to go and find another?"

Fiona was standing in the middle of the shop floor. There was no cover to speak of. At best she was a sitting duck waiting to be shot. All three of the Dominion agents were closing in on her making her only option to stand and fight.

"Alright then, how do you assholes want to do this?"

"Do what? Kill you?" the man in the center laughed.

Johnny was done standing around idly. Fiona had put her life on the line to save his and Miss Rose's, and now it was time for him to do the same for her. Walking perpendicular to the men, he didn't hide his presence. As calm and collectively has he could, he approached the vixen's side.

"There he is," the soldier chided. "I knew he would be lurking around here somewhere."

"Get lost," Johnny requested politely as he felt around his pockets for the pack of cigarettes.

"Make us," another man said snidely.

Grabbing a filter with his lips he pulled his prize from the tattered box. With his offhand he made a move to snap his fingers but stopped when all three of the Dominion Agents transferred their sight to him.

"You snap your fingers and we'll turn you into Swiss cheese," the one Johnny had determined was called Adam said with as much authority as he could muster.

Lowering his hands he let the cigarette hang in his mouth, "Relax fellas."

"Where is she? Where is the hedgehog?"

"What do you need with her?" Fiona asked as if bartering their way out of this situation was a viable option.

"Orders are orders. You should remember those."

"Look gentlemen, I don't want you to get your panties in a bunch, but I'm afraid you'll have to go through me if you want to deal with Miss Rose."

Raising his hand again, he threatened them with the only thing they were scared of. They had armor for bullets, night vision for the darkness, but at the snap of his fingers he could produce the unknown. Light or dark, it didn't matter they were his to call upon in any of their forms.

With a small growing smile, he locked eyes with the man in the center, daring him to make the first move.

_**SNAP**_

It was the only sound that filled the room, and everyone hung onto the near silence waiting for something to happen, most of all him. In what he expected to be another dying breath, there was nothing expect for a flash of red. The vixen had taken off towards the nearest cover, which was twenty feet too far for someone who wasn't Sonic. At this range she would be easy pickings unless he did something.

Almost instantly, all three agents shifted their attention back to the fox, finally letting loose with a barrage of bullets. She didn't make it easy for them, ducking and weaving between their unwavering onslaughts of firepower. In the end it was a futile attempt. One rounder caught her in the shoulder, spinning her around like top. The next two put sizeable holes in her back, adding to the spray of the blood covering the dusty shop floor.

_It's a good thing Miles isn't here,_ Johnny concluded as he put his hands up.

Walking closer, the three men eyed the dead vulpine, worried she might get up.

"Good riddance you fifthly animal," Adam spat in her direction. "You never did amount to anything without Jake."

Pointing the barrel of a riffle in Johnny's face, another solider began to question him, "I'm not going to ask you again, where's the hedgehog?"

With a subtle glance at the hand raised above his head, the guardian asked, "Am I the only person wondering what happened when I snapped my fingers?"

A wave of uneasy glances passed between the Dominion Agents.

Adam approached him pushing an armored finger into his chest, "I know what you are, Johnny. Your powers are useless here!"

"I'm glad you think so."

Lowering his hand into the man's face, Johnny dared them to test him.

"If you do anything other than tell me where that hedgehog is, I'll make sure we take the time to bury you in four separate holes. I'd love to see how that works out for you."

_**SNAP**_

* * *

It's been a while. Feedback appreciated, good bad or otherwise.

Cheers,

M.D


	15. Valley of Darkness

The darkness was beginning to close in around him. The feeling only made worse by the baited breath of a prisoner nipping at his heels. Visions as real as any dream the kit ever had leapt forth onto the blackened canvas. Nightmares were explainable, but the surreal thoughts of an unattended, active, and guilty mind produced things far worse. Fiona had once consoled him about waking nightmares, but he often maintained that he had failed to grasp the concept.

Left to his thoughts in the utmost depths of the Capital City, he finally realized how horrid an imagination could be. The reality that the vixen he longed to have for himself could leave him hundreds of times over was only made worse by the fact that he didn't even have to bother close his eyes to see it happen. In the absence of light, his mind displayed what he wanted to see, or rather didn't.

Each time she turned to leave a new detail immerged from his memory to make the experience more surreal. A additional strand of hair, a fraying strand in her yellow bow, his reflection in her eyes, the fang that hung over her grin wrought with disappointment.

"How can you see down here?" the man trudging along behind him finally asked.

Tails wanted to laugh. Even for a fox, this was a dark place. He almost pitied the world his human compatriot was stuck in.

"I don't think now is the time for a biology lesson, do you?"

Heightened vision, day or night, was a perk that evolution had selected for his species. The faintest of outlines illuminated their path. Although thus far that had only provided Fiona a direction to run. If he didn't know better, Tails would have considered chasing after her.

"I can't see a damn thing," Colin nearly cried, the darkness's suffocating grasp showing its affect on him.

"Just follow the sound of my footsteps."

The echo of his boots on the cobbled floor was one of the few things that grounded him in reality.

"What are we looking for?" Snively asked as if there were a way that he could help.

"A way out," was all the more information he was going to give his back stabbing partner.

The man had already proven he was out for blood when he sunk a Taser into the two-tailed fox's bare fur. Despite Colin being weaponless, Tails' kept his senses alert for anything out of the ordinary. Blind or not his back was to a subtly cunning man not known for his manners.

"What?" a voice stammered, "You don't know where we're gong?"

He didn't. It was an accident that the kit even knew these tunnels existed. Never mind where they went. The only thing the kit knew for sure was that it didn't make sense to have a secret tunnel with only one way in and one way out.

"You're the one who's been imprinted, why don't you tell me."

"It doesn't work like that!" he retorted loudly, his voice reverberating obnoxiously off the stone. "And even if it did, how am I supposed to get my bearings when I can't see anything."

"Colin," Tails said calmly, "Have you noticed anything about these 'sewers'?"

Even though he couldn't see, the kit could hear the man shake his head in reply.

"They only go in one direction, we haven't had an opportunity to turn since we started."

"So?"

"So, I only know of a few other structures that go this deep in the city, don't you."

"Dominion HQ?" he laughed hopefully.

"That's one of them, but not where we're going."

When silence again filled the stale air, the Resistance fighter felt obliged to answer, "The Breaker Casino."

Snively's cackle was maddening, "You can't be serious? They hated each other. There is no way Naugus would have allowed my uncle to build a back door into his fortress."

Tails was more than aware of the animosity between Capital City's two greatest tyrants. However, he knew on more than one occasion they found ways to work together, especially when their interest aligned. Seeing as neither would be caught dead showing up at the other's doorstep for the entire world to see, this seemed a likely possibility.

"I guess there's only one way to find out then."

"Do you know what he'll do to me?" a now quivering man asked. "He will never forgive me."

"Ixis won't touch you as long as I'm around."

"I – I put a leash on him, just like Uncle did with that Mobian bitch."

Inhaling deeply, the two-tailed fox sought to control himself. He had let the man grow comfortable, it was only a matter of time before he started speaking as if there weren't a fox mere feet from him.

"Remember who you're talking to," Tails reminded him.

"Oh I do. If I'm going to be your prisoner, I'm going to do everything I can to make it as uncomfortable for you as it is for me."

"I think you're overplaying your hand a bit."

"I don't have a hand left! You're escorting me to my death and expecting me to be happy about it."

"I made you a promise, I intend on keeping it."

"Just like Fiona made a promise to my uncle? Where was that promise when she put a bullet in his head?"

It was hardly fair taking advantage of a man who couldn't see. With no chance to react or tighten his mussels, Snively doubled over gasping for air when the fox sunk a clenched paw into his gut. It felt better than he cared to admit to hear the man suffer, to hear him whimper like an injured animal.

_I told him I would save him,_ the kit reminded himself.

Placing a paw beneath Colin's arm, Tails pulled him back to his feat.

"Do yourself a favor and don't talk about her anymore."

The man nodded reluctantly, stumbling forward ready to puke.

"Stare into the distance," Tails assured him. "It makes that queasy feeling go away."

"The distance," Snively cackled, "everything is fucking black! How do you expect me to…"

His words hung there in the air begging to be finished, but the Mobian had a feeling he knew why the man stopped. He could see it too. The tiny shimmer of light in the distance, the kind only an exit might yield.

_But that's the wrong direction._

Had they not stopped in this exact spot they would have walked right past it, the tiny turn too dark even for the fox's well honed eyes to see.

"Light," Snively yelled with joy before taking off at an unusually fast speed.

"Colin," Tails called after him, "that's the wrong direction."

The man showed no sign of stopping, and who was to blame him. They had been trapped down here for hours with no sign of anything but more despair. Reluctantly the kit followed.

"Colin, I don't know what's down here," the kit warned him again. "It doesn't line up with anything that I know about on the surface."

"There's light, what more do you need?"

Light was a deceiving thing. I could be coming out of the tiniest of holes from hundreds of feet above.

_But why build a tunnel to nowhere?_

"Slowdown Colin."

The tiny pin of light grew larger and large until it poured out of an unsealed bulkhead. Steel a couple feet thick stared back at them with no obvious sign of entry. It was the kind of thing you built when you thought the world was going to end.

"What is this?" the tiny man marveled at their newest mystery.

"That's a good question."

Running his fingers around the edge, Tails hoped to find a hidden latch, handle, or keyhole. Instead he discovered the impossible.

"I think it's still unlocked," the kit proclaimed in disbelief, "help me pry it open."

Someone had left their door ajar just enough to let the light out. It was however, no easy task to find enough leverage to open a ten-ton door with their fingertips. Digging his nails into the small space between the frame, the fox heaved outwards.

The two strained for what felt like a minute before moving the mystery hatch enough to slip inside. Light of any kind was near blinding to their unadjusted eyes. With pain and trepidation the two advanced into the unknown.

Hundreds of cables snaked their way beneath the grates in the floor. This was beginning to look like some black ops remote facility the way it was wired up.

"Dark fiber," the kit noted as he looked down.

Even his partner was keen to notice that rarity with a nod.

Commonly reserved for undersea cabling, dark fiber supported massive bandwidth. Tails was beginning to smile with the idea that he may have inadvertently discovered Capital City's data relay, the point at which nearly all communications in the entire country converged.

_If I can hack this, we can infiltrate anyone._

The only systems that would escape their scrutiny would be those that were off the grid and didn't interface with public networks in the slightest.

"Exabytes per second," the man next to him muttered nearly incomprehensively as he followed the thick bundle of cords down a dark corridor.

That was just grazing the surface. In truth peering into the data stream with any intention of locating anything would be like trying to find a single grain of sand in the desert. Without knowing exactly where to look, there was no point in wading through an infinite number of packets. Infrastructure like this took years to plan and integrate.

A humming sound grew louder as they both wandered the halls, seemingly drawn to the engineering and technology that far exceeded anything that either knew about. Somewhere down here were the machines that tied the world together.

"In here," Snively announced after placing his head against a bulk head, "the servers are in here."

Tails was anxious to follow him, but a much larger door loomed at the end of the hall. If life had taught him anything, it was that the best-kept secrets were often behind the biggest doors. Instead of tending to his prisoner, the kit let him helplessly pry at the lock that separated them from an unfathomable amount of data.

"Help me with this," he pleaded, the hype in his voice more than evident.

The two-tailed fox was content to keep his back to the man as he strolled away, his eyes still fixated on his newest obstacle.

"Miles!" Snively shouted after him, "do you have any idea what's in this room!"

He did, but its luster could wait. If a measly quarter inch steel door was good enough for all the world's data, what was behind a two-foot thick titanium hatch?

_There's no prying this open,_ the vulpine lamented.

Eying the keypad to the right, Tails reached into his pocket for Snively's card.

_The Master Key is supposed to work on anything, right?_

A light flashed green as soon as he swiped it, prompting their corridor to shudder as the massive door began to swing open. The commotion quickly drew his human compatriot to his side.

"What did you do?" the bald man inquired.

Tails offered to let him enter first, but unsurprisingly the man's nerves were not strong enough to allow it. Shaking his head, Colin insisted that the Mobian venture into the darkness.

A solitary light shone at the opposite side of the chamber, illuminating an indistinguishable figure. Given the color, however, it didn't take long for Tails to figure out who he was looking at.

"Sonic!" the kit shouted.

The cobalt hedgehog was chained to a concrete wall and left to rot. Urging his legs forward, the fox was now in sprint as he rushed to his friend's aid. When the quilled Mobian did not respond, a new wave of panic set in.

Skidding to a stop, Tails wasted no time assessing the hedgehog's state. His pulse indicated he was unconscious, bordering on dead. The feeling of the Mobian's heartbeat could barely be felt, let alone heard. Unable to lie down, the force of gravity had allowed the chains to chaff his skin and fur away.

Carefully, the two-tailed fox removed an intravenous line from Sonic's arm, holding his thumb to the hole it left behind. Whoever had strung him up down here did not want him waking up.

_I guess that's one way to slow him down._

It didn't take an expert to recognize the tasteless, colorless, odorless substance that was nightshade. In controlled amounts it was an exceptional anesthesia, but in larger dosages it often induced nightmare like commas, which meant his friend wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

"I'm going to get you out of here Sonic," Tails whispered in his ear.

Shackles as simple as these only took a few seconds with a decent lock pick. When the last one was off, the hedgehog collapsed into his arms. Despite his friend's unintended weightless, he was still not an easy person to carry around. Hoisting the cobalt Mobian onto his shoulder he started back towards the exit.

"Tails?" the hedgehog struggled to even whisper. "What are you doing here?"

The kit longed to ask his friend the same, but he could do that later, after he got Sonic as far away from this place as possible.

"Everything's going to be okay," he comforted his friend.

"You need to leave before it's too late."

That was precisely what the kit intended on doing, but he was forced to pause when he heard the sound of a gun being cocked. Glancing down at the holster where his Beretta used to be. Tails had suspected that his prisoner would eventually try something like this. He had to give him credit for being patient and choosing the right time.

With a sigh the kit spoke, "Colin, you don't want to do this."

"Of course I do," he laughed. "Imagine getting rid of two of the most notorious outlaws all on my own after being kidnapped. I would be a hero by anyone's standards."

"Except your own," the two-tailed fox remarked.

"You don't know a thing about me!"

_I understand more than I would like to._

"Very good Snively," a bone chilling voice cackled from the shadows, "I was worried I was going to have stop them myself."

The tiny man's yelp confirmed yet another nightmare had managed to cross into the realm of the waking.

"Kintobor," Tails said in all but disbelief.

"Run," Sonic whispered incoherently in his ear.

"Miles Prower. How nice of the two of you to join me in my abode."

"U-U-Un-Uncle," Colin stammered, "you're alive."

"Are you surprised, Colin?"

"I watched you die," Miles answered turning around to face the rotund man.

If he didn't know better, there wasn't a hair on the fat man's head that had changed. His arm was still composite steel while his facial hair bristled with the color of a hellish brimstone.

"Funny thing, death. It's not all that it's cracked up to be."

Switching his gaze back to the shorter man that was still pointing a gun at him he found a lost and confused soul.

"Colin, you're pointing that at the wrong person right now."

There was hesitation as the scrawny man swung the weapon in his Uncle's direction.

"There, there, Snively. There's no cause to fret. There's still time to rule this world together."

The gun came back towards the Mobians. So much hinged on a frail and damaged psyche.

"Colin, he's already dead. This isn't him, it can't be. The blood won't be on your hands. Shoot him!"

"I never got a chance to thank you for all of your help, Snively." Julian stated calmly. "I'm not sure I could have done any of this without you."

Sniffling at his tears of fear, Colin managed a, "Really?

"Don't listen to him! He's lying! You know he is!" Tails shouted.

"Give me the gun and we can deal with these two together, just like I promised."

Kintobor had always been a master of deception and it appeared that trait had transcended death and followed him into whatever form he was in now. It didn't matter that Colin was weak; Tails knew he stood little chance of winning over anyone when Julian was tugging at the other end. It was too easy to be bad and the reward for virtue was too small. .

_The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by inequities of the selfish and tyranny of evil men._

Tails had walked through this valley of darkness, surrounded by forces greater than himself, and now it appeared as he had reached the end of his journey. Colin, in his quest for approval had forsaken himself, and perhaps the world in return for false words.

"That's my boy," Kintobor smiled.

Tails watched with still eyes as the scrawny man handed the weapon over to his Uncle. It only took a moment for the egg shaped dictator to turn it on his nephew, placing it squarely on Colin's forehead.

"Uncle?" he pleaded, nearly shedding a tear, "you promised."

With the subtlest chuckle Miles had ever heard Julian utter, he watched in slow motion as a monster killed his own flesh and blood.

_Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. _

Tails had been Colin's shepherd, and while their valley was a sewer it was dark nonetheless.

Letting Sonic slide to the ground, the kit prepared to defend himself against a man nearly four times his size. Even as Tails unsheathed his knife, the man barely bothered to adjust his aim, still content to watch Colin's blood pool at his feet.

"I never thought I would be so lucky as to have you wonder in here Mr. Prower. Did you by chance bring your little vixen friend along with you?"

Growling, the two-tailed fox advanced ready to pounce.

"No matter, you've only made things easier for me."

"Easier?" the Tails nearly laughed, "You're trapped in a room alone with me."

Despite that fact the fat man had yet to skulk away or even point his weapon at the fox.

"I'm hardly alone Mr. Prower."

With a startled gasp, Miles came to a hard stop, examining the object that had just appeared in front of him. It bore an eerie resemblance to Sonic, but in robotic form. Red eyes filled its sockets with a smooth cobalt exterior. Razor like fins were affixed to its back, shimmering in the flat light.

"I would like to introduce you to Metal Sonic."

"Very original," the kit quipped.

"He's everything Sonic was, but better. And! He listens to no one but me," Julian chuckled deeply.

Tails was close to speechless. There was no beating Sonic in a fight, let alone a metallic Sonic.

"I saved space on the wall right next to Sonic for you. I think you find incredibly uncomfortable."

"I'll die first."

"You say that," Kintobor began, "but I don't think you understand how little of a choice you have."

The robot's arms lashed out far faster than he could react, its grip tightening around his neck. Gasping for air was pointless, instead Tails did the only he could do. With as much force as he must he swung his blackened steel blade, forcing its point into the metallic hedgehog's body. Its eyes flickered a moment before it let him go, twitching.

"Is that all you got?" the kit remarked.

A moment later he found himself doubled over staring at the floor. Something had hit him hard enough to make him cough up blood.

_That thing is fast…_

"A roboticized machine works much the same way we do," Julian spoke softly as he knelt down to address the Freedom Fighter, "When they're danger, a surge of adrenal electricity overclocks every circuit in their body."

Responding was impossible. Tails willed himself to breath, but his lungs felt like they had collapsed in on themselves. Thankfully he didn't need to breath to stand. With a sadistic grin, the two-tailed fox rose up to face a man who should have been dead.

"As you wish Mr. Prower," Julian motioned to the machine standing at his side. "I have no need for two-tailed freaks. My only wish was that Fiona could be here to watch you die."

Closing his eyes, Tails let his imagination run wild one last time. Conjuring Fiona's face had become second nature. Thankfully she was kind enough to grace him with a smile this time. Perhaps it was shock setting in, but the kit could swear that he could feel her paw on his cheek as she leaned in to give him one last kiss.

* * *

It's been a while. Hopefully now that work is done being crazy I can get back around to posting more often. This chapter is far from my best work, but I wanted to post it so the story continues. For those of you that read my work, I apologize that I have left you hanging for this long... and do so again in this chapter.

Bonus points if you tell me what Tails quotes in this chapter! Double points for those who identify what movie the quote was predominately feature in.

Expect more soon... I hope.

Cheers,

M.D


	16. Legacies

"You can head in now, Fiona," the now much older assistant said as she hung up her phone.

Naugus clearly both respected and rewarded dedication. Much his staff never changed, least of all the people that served him well.

_What does that say about me?_

"Thanks Kitty," the vixen replied quietly.

It had been years since the fox had spoken to the girl who seemed to change the color of her hair every other week. Pushing through the glass doors, Fiona smiled at the man on the other side. It was almost like coming home.

"Fiona," the crime lord began gruffly, "you're about the only Mobian I will let up here anymore."

"Don't go getting sentimental on me now."

The grey haired man chuckled, "I think we both know I am as far from that as anyone."

That much was for certain. However, he had raised her much the way a father would up until the point where he nearly killed her. As it stood they were about even on that front, both ready to let bygones be bygones.

"Did Miles find himself a new fox?" the man asked, nearly rhetorically, when too much silence had passed.

"I need a favor," she lamented, knowing the chance of getting something from him without agreeing to provide anything in return was remote.

His gaze narrowed, "I'm listening."

"I need some credits."

Without Tails, she was cut off from The Freedom Fighter's financial backing. She could have asked Johnny or Knuckles, but thought better of it after her recent scuffle. They supposedly wielded a vast fortune, but not one that she imagined they were willing to share.

"I see," Ixis replied as he spun around to face the safe behind him, "may I ask for what?"

He was halfway through spinning the dials when she continued, "Only enough to catch a train out to Rocksburro and back."

Naugus snorted with laughter, "that shithole? What could you possibly want out there?"

"I'm not sure," she answered somewhat honestly.

Reaching instead into his back pocket, the man pulled out his wallet.

"Here," he said with an outstretched hand, "this is more than enough credits to buy you a first class cabin."

With hesitation, the vixen reached out to accept the money, waiting for the terms that never came.

"I assume you will want something in return?"

"What could a thousand credits possibly buy me from the Red Shadow?"

She had nearly forgotten what it was like to work for actual money. The thought of charging a price for her abilities was stimulating to say the least.

"Surely your rates are even higher now that you've killed dictators," Ixis continued.

Fiona smiled back at him with some level of self-confidence, recognizing that they could have ruled the world together. Had it not been for that pesky two-tailed fox who stole her heart, she would have never left the service of man with not only the means, but also the ambition to get himself to the top. He had nearly made it there without her, but when she was at his side, no one stood in their way.

"Do you ever wish you had never let me go?"

Tails, her parents, everyone, they had all let her go. The only person who hadn't was Julian, but that sick bastard had put her on a leash, content to wait until the day when she became a burden. It was only a matter of time before he cast her aside. Thankfully she never gave him the chance.

"Don't flatter yourself. I never needed you."

The fox stared at her former master, resolute to prove him otherwise.

"But," he allowed, "having you around did make everything easier."

_I'll settle for that._

Reaching for a decanter at the edge of his desk, Ixis began to pour himself a drink. It was only when he flipped over a second glass and began to fill it with amber liquid did Fiona begin to grow suspicious. He had never offered a drink before. Pushing the crystal glass across his desk, he nodded.

The fox was close to speechless, "I don't understand."

"Fiona," the man breathed in deeply, "you shouldn't pass up life's little moments. This isn't about anything other than two friends sharing a drink."

"You don't have friends," she grinned, picking up her glass.

With a chuckle, Naugus moved to clink her glass against hers but something made her memory skip. In an instant, the vixen found her ears ringing as she tried to process the scene in front of her. Licking her lips, Fiona could swear she tasted blood instead of bourbon. Shattered glass covered Ixis' desk and it wasn't until she set her drink down and leaned over the top that she found the man that had once been sitting across from her.

Curled up on the floor and screaming, blood was flowing from the places where his hands used to be.

_Snively._

Whether the little twerp had done it on purpose or managed to get himself killed was a still a mystery.

_Maybe Tails finally got sick of him,_ she thought hopefully, _or…_

None of the thoughts that followed appealed to her. It occurred to her that she still had no idea where he was and if someone had managed to kill Colin while under Miles' care then there was a good chance the kit she adored was dead as well.

Leaping over the desk, Fiona was quick to remove the man's shoelaces. Every second that ticked by was another where blood loss threatened to take away the closest thing she had to a father.

"Ixis," she spoke softly, as she began to tie a piece of the string around his forearm.

Tightening the knot, the vixen watched the flow of the crimson liquid diminish. Before she could move onto his other arm, however, the door to his office burst open. Two men twice her size threw her to the floor, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"What did you do!?" one shouted before brandishing a pistol.

She felt compelled to reply as she stared cross-eyed down the barrel, but thankfully she didn't have to.

"She was saving my life you idiots!" Naugus grimaced through the pain, "let her go!"

Pushing the guards arm aside, Fiona sprung back to his side, picking up where she had left off. Tightening the tourniquet on his other arm, the fox could only hope it was enough.

"I can't believe that little brat did it," Ixis laughed manically.

"Sir?" one of the guards asked.

"Relax, I don't pay either of you enough to understand this." Turning to Fiona, the man nodded at his terminal, "There's a meeting I need you to go to."

As his guards picked up by the crooks of his arm, his consciousness teetered dangerously.

"A meeting?" she asked. "In your place? With who?"

"Someone is killing us Fiona. First Sonic, then Colin, now me. If you don't figure out who it is then nothing you helped me build will even matter."

_Someone killed Sonic?_

She longed to call after him, but the men in pin stripes had already loaded him into the elevator. Turning back towards Ixis' computer screen, Fiona took a seat in his chair. The plush leather comforted her with the illusion of power.

"ARCON?" the red furred fox whispered softly as she began to read the crime lord's conversation. "Acorn. Princess Acorn."

She was tempted to reach for the keyboard, but the date had already been set. Fiona only had four days to find Johnny and make it back to The Den of Shadows in time for the face to face meeting with Sally.

_I can't wait to see the look on her face when I show up._

Reaching for her glass of bourbon, the vixen casually sipped the liquor, contemplating her next move as the door at the end of the office opened. A now pale Kitty stared back at her, irritated the fox was sitting in a seat that belonged to someone else.

"Is – is he okay?" the girl stuttered.

Swirling the ice in her tumbler, Fiona did her best to hide her own concern, "I'm not sure."

It was the truth. The vixen had done her best to stop the bleeding. Now it was up to his guards to get him to someone that could help.

The secretary stood there unsure of what to do, almost as if she now lacked a purpose. Fiona could respect that. Even the worst of men could be the best of leaders, capable of instilling unconditional dedication in those that followed them. Kitty had nowhere to turn to now that Naugus was in limbo.

"Kitty," the red furred fox requested softly so not to disturb the woman's quiet tears.

"Yes?" she sniffled.

"I need you to bring me to Station Square. There's a train I need to catch."

In some ways Fiona pitied her. Kitty had been become nothing more than a well trained pet, programed to roll over on command. It didn't matter that the sound of the voice had changed, only that the person barking the orders was still someone to fear and respect.

"Let me get my keys," she replied almost too eagerly, "I can have you there in no time."

It was amazing how far her reputation could get her. The fox had traded glance after glance with strangers as descended the familiar steps of Station Square. Most ignored the out of place Mobian. Even the rare few that recognized her knew better than to say anything. Security would no doubt flag her, but wouldn't dare risk confronting her. Killing Julian had made her more of a legend than she already was. Assassin, to pet of tyrannical dictator, to traitor - the media would have anyone believe her level of deceit and ruthlessness knew no bounds.

Stepping onto the train, the Mobian was quick to find her cabin, a small secluded room at the front of the first class car. Traveling with this much luxury came with as much privilege as it did privacy. Sliding the door shut behind her, the fox was content to press her nose against the glass and watch the hours pass. Busy suburban life was quickly replaced by desolate golden corn fields.

A sharp whistle awoke her from a nap as the train rolled into another station. The vulpine's hair was matted to the side of head while a pool of saliva was forming on her collar. Anyone who bothered to catch her in this state would probably have a good laugh. It had been so long since she slept it was not all that surprising that the monotony of the journey had gotten the better of her. Rising from her spot on the couch, the fox sought to clean herself up. Rocksburrow was only two more stops away.

Unsurprisingly, only a few people exited the train. This town was a dead end, both figuratively and literally. Fiona was more than aware she was being watched. Prying eyes and a growing tide of whispers followed her throughout the tiny run down station. Thankfully confronting her was well out of the pay grade of an ordinary copper, let alone an average citizen. For now, she could walk around with impunity, but she knew the ten hour long train ride would have given the Dominion all the time they needed to catch up with her.

"What are you doing here, Johnny?" the vixen whispered to herself, wondering what a Guardian could possibly want in a place like this.

From the fogging windows of the train she had once again stared into the despair of Rocksburrow. Nothing had changed. A static cloud of grey clung to the deteriorating town.

Knuckles had told her to look where everything began. That was a difficult thing to place. By all accounts the war had started in Acorn Palace when the King was shot dead in open court. However, the Kingdom of Acorn was gone and Fiona had promised herself she would never return after her last visit there.

One simple fact remained, however, Johnny was human and humans rarely had any business in the Kingdom of Acorn. It made far more sense that his beginning lay elsewhere. In a savage display of power, Kintobor had near leveled Rocksburrow on a national holiday. If a man as old as Johnny were to have an origin in Julian's war, it would be here.

Breathing in the cool yet considerably fresher air, the red-furred vulpine extended a foot down the crumbling steps of the station. Finding someone who could shift his entire appearance in the blink of an eye would not be easy. Blending in or disappearing all together was the hallmark of a guardian.

That didn't change the fact that Johnny, despite his shady occupation was still human in heart and mind. He would make all the same mistakes as the rest of his species, which meant at the very least he would be predictable.

Fiona knew she could spend hours wandering the street or do what she always did and follow her gut. With no particular rhyme or reason, the vixen wandered in the direction of the hospital, which loomed in the distance.

If he had brought Amy, she would be in need of medical care, and while the hospital may not treat her, having one around certainly made obtaining supplies easier.

Halfway down the block Fiona spied a pair of Dominion soldiers knocking softly on the door of a cheap motel room.

"They've learned a thing or two," she noted.

Rather than ripping the door off its frame, they were looking to take their victim by surprise. The only question that remained was, "Who are they looking for?"

_Surely not me. _

The vixen had only been in town for two hours, far from needing a dingy no-tell motel.

From the shadows, Fiona watched the shorter of the two produce a set of lock picks. It only took them a moment to let themselves in.

She almost felt hurt not to be the center of attention. This whole time she had been expecting to find a trap waiting around the next corner, but the way things looked now, the Dominion wasn't even here for her.

_Then who?_

Johnny was the next most logical answer until she thought about it more. Colin himself had made an appearance at Amy's Capital City apartment. Whoever this hedgehog was, she was more important to them than the runaway pet who bit her master's hand.

Padding along the concrete, she kept the noise of her footsteps on par with the flap of a butterfly's wings. If Johnny or Amy was in that room, there wasn't much time left to act.

They noticed her as soon as she stepped into the entrance behind them, interrupting the gentle flow of natural light.

"Fiona?" one of them chuckled, "What are you doing here?"

"I was kind of hoping to ask you guys the same."

"You know we can't tell you that, bos…" the other responded trying desperately to cut off the last word of his own sentence.

These were soldiers she had trained. There was too much respect in their voices, too many hints of old habits that hadn't died.

"I suppose I can't just ask you guys to leave?"

They shook their heads, each contemplating if they were fast enough to raise their weapon before she could close the distance.

"Julian's little twerp of a nephew isn't any better than he was when it comes to you lot."

The one on her left adjusted his grip, tightening and loosening each finger on his gun. She felt compelled to shake her own head, "don't make this hard," she pleaded.

With one large and swift step, she had a paw on the barrel of his weapon before the soldier could raise it past his hip. Fiona, longed to let her instincts free, but this wasn't the time for that. Between the armor and her conscience, enough resistance stood between her and their deaths for the vixen to re-think her approach.

By now the man on her right was determined to become part of the action, lunging at her with a free hand. Side stepping his attack, Fiona twisted her prisoner's wrist until his knees bent unconditionally. With a forceful hand at the back of his helmet, she drove his head forward into the wooden dresser.

Without their armor they would have been easy pray for her claws or bullets. Part of her liked the challenge in finding a way to best them when they held all the advantages. Wood splintered beneath the agent's helmet. It would have been easy to smash his head again, but wouldn't do anything to help stave off the other soldier in the room. Releasing her grip, she let the man fall to the floor before turning just in time to catch the butt of the other agent's rifle.

Despite her strength it was hard to fight off both the weight and power of a human nearly twice her size. Pushing back, Fiona attempted gain a foothold in her struggle, but found herself sinking as she was forced to give ground to his persistence.

It took far too long for her to feel the vibration on her back, the subtle hint of power hiding just inside a worn satchel. Its presence alone seemed to double her strength, allowing her to force her attacker backwards into the wall. Grappling for control of his weapon, she ripped it from his hands, threatening to shoot him on the spot.

"No! Boss, please," he pleaded.

"Would you spare me if I was on my knees?" the red furred Mobian asked politely.

His rather startling lack of an answer was all she needed. Luckily for him, she wasn't a Dominion agent anymore. With the power ring at her back, she struck so quickly the man never even had a chance to blink. The blow sent him sideways before he crumbled onto the floor next to his partner.

Fiona longed to catch her breath, but more hurried footsteps approached from outside. Reaching for her sidearm, the fox stepped back into the corner hoping for the commotion to pass. Instead, she heard the sound of a key being thrust into door's lock.

Without a view of the door all the vixen could see was a taller shadow being propped up by a much smaller one.

"I thought you said they didn't know about this place," an almost obnoxious feminine voice proclaimed when she discovered the two dominion agents napping on the floor.

A pink hedgehog slowly pushed a talk lanky man towards the mattress.

_Johnny, Amy, I found them. _

"You didn't do a very good job covering your tracks," Fiona remarked as she stepped towards them.

Both of their hands went to their brows as they struggled to see through the glare. Reaching an arm out, the vixen gently shut the door, letting their eyes focus on her.

Amy was the first to make a move, inhaling deeply like she wanted to scream. A worried look squirmed across her face.

"How bad is he?" Fiona asked as she approached Johnny's side.

"Stay away from him!" the hedgehog demanded even as water flowed from her eyes, "Just stay away!"

_I'm no here to hurt you,_ the vixen longed to reply, but she knew there weren't many people that would believe her anymore.

"I know who you are!" Amy growled.

_Everyone seems to._

"Sonic warned me about you!" she continued, becoming more irate.

_Of course he did. _

Sonic was not a fan of hers, even before he nearly killed her. It was no surprise that he had managed to tell both of his girlfriends how bad of a person she was.

"It's a little more complicated than that now. I'm not here to hurt you."

It was difficult to live down the legacy the vixen had built for herself. Even if she had killed Julian, she was still a cold-hearted killer to most. Unfortunately working for the Resistance wasn't as easy as updating her resume, she still had to prove to everyone this is what she was meant to do.

"Then why bring your friends?" the pink hedgehog demanded.

Exhaling deeply, Fiona wanted to appear confused but thought better of it, "my friends? Who do you think did that to them?"

"I don't care who did it to them! I won't be made into one of Kintobor's little pets. I won't let him use me against Sonic.

_So that's what this all about. No one wants to be like me._

Fiona only wished someone could show some empathy for a change. No one wanted her life or to be forced into the same position she was, yet no one could be bothered to feel sorry for her.

_It's better that way,_ she decided.

Laughing, the fox approached Johnny, "let me help you with that."

Fiona had been waiting this whole time for Amy to try something. It was no surprise to see her defend the man that more than likely had saved her life. She was spirited, that much was true, and if the fox had seen the punch coming a miles away it might have even hurt. Grapping her wrist, the vixen stared the hedgehog down.

"Miss Rose," the man in the bed coughed, "you should trust her."

When it appeared as if she had calmed down, Fiona let Amy yank her wrist away, "I don't work for him anymore. I was the one who killed him."

"All the good that did," the pink hedgehog snorted, "considering he's still alive."

"Trust me when I tell you he isn't. I put a bullet in his head."

Not a day had gone by where that memory didn't bubble up to the surface. Fiona only wished revenge felt better.

"Are you sure you didn't miss like Tails?" a smirk grew on her face, "You foxes seem to…"

The vixen would have loved to have smacked her for that comment, but right now she needed her to be quiet. Placing a finger to the hedgehog's lips, Fiona shushed softly, nodding to the growing sounds of footsteps outside. It was only a matter of time before the Dominion sent someone looking for the soldiers who hadn't checked in recently. The streaks of red that led into their room wouldn't make it an easy place to miss either.

"Even a blind man could have followed the trail of blood you two left behind."

It was almost painful to think about what she would likely have to do. There was no time to have a prolonged fight in the street; no time to identify if this was a recruit she had trained. If they were still fighting for a Kintobor they had made the wrong choice, or at least that's how she was going to justify it. At the end of the day all Dominion soldiers looked and acted the same.

_Isn't that what they say about us,_ Fiona grinned at the irony as she let herself back out into the street.

Men could be blind to the obvious, but then again how often did exactly what they were looking for appear right in front of them?

_Far too often I suspect._

It took the Soldier a moment to recognize her, but given the fact that Mobians were commonplace in this part of the country she was willing to let it slide.

"What the hell?" a stunned Dominion agent gasped, "What are you doing here?"

_The same thing as you probably._

Before the man had a chance had a chance to think she was on top of him. Placing her boot between his legs and behind his foot, the fox leaned into the heavy armor. Arms flailing, the man fell to the ground in a clatter. Following through with her intent, the vixen removed the pistol from her holster, aimed, and let the snap of gunfire put a ring in her ears that removed all but her guilt from her senses.

_One thousand eight hundred and…_

The number escaped her, the number she swore she would take to her grave. Had it been so long that she had forgotten or did she just not care anymore? Lowering her weapon Fiona watched a pool of blood form, searching for the missing two digits as if it were a mug filled with tea leaves.

Turning back to her friends, they greeted her with reluctant smiles, no doubt happy to find she was the one who prevailed. Unfortunately for the dead man, there had never been a contest.

_Snap out of it Fi, there's no time feel bad for yourself now._

Inhaling deeply, the red furred fox responded to Amy, "Tails only missed because I made him."

_It only took the sound of my voice to ruin the world. If I hadn't said anything no one would be stuck in this mess._

"And I assure you, I did not miss!" she continued, "I watched Kintobor die."

"Then maybe he can't die like you?" Amy asked looking back at Johnny. "Maybe he is a Guardian too?"

The guardian was quick to laugh, "Dr. Kintobor take orders from something else beside himself? I doubt it."

"I'm not sure you understand what dead means," Fiona replied, annoyed.

Grabbing a handful of bed sheets, she decided to take her anger out them, shredding the fabric into smaller bandage sized strips.

Much to her surprise Johnny responded, "No, I'm afraid Miss Rose is right. Dr. Kintobor is not as dead we believed."

It was one thing for some know nothing hedgehog to make a statement like that, but for a Guardian to admit that a fabled tyrannical dictator that she had killed was still alive was difficult to swallow.

"Who do you think took Sonic?" Amy added as if the answer were obvious.

The fact that Sonic was missing was alarmingly convenient and even worse was the fact that the fat man might have gotten his hands on the world's fastest hedgehog.

_If Julian can get to him…_

Fiona pushed the thoughts from her mind. What Kintobor would do to her if he managed to catch her was of little consequence right now.

"Roll him on his side," she barked at her the other Mobian, hoping for some cooperation.

Stringing the long strips of fabric around the man's midsection, Fiona pulled them tight over the bullet holes. The vixen was unsure of the level of care to provide considering Guardians were supposed to be invincible.

"Are you still there Johnny," the fox asked.

He nodded subtly in response, almost as if didn't believe she was standing in front of him.

Fiona smiled back to assure him she was in fact very real, "We need to go, there will be more of them."

_I'm not the ghost here… just the shadow. _

"I can't move," the Guardian answered.

_Of course you can't._

"I thought Guardians couldn't die?" she retorted in an equally blunt fashion.

"We can't, but it doesn't mean we don't bleed like the rest of you."

* * *

When I finished this chapter it was closer to 10,000 words, which in my opinion is too daunting for a single chapter, so I cut it roughly in half. I will release the second half tomorrow or upon request, which ever happens first.

Sorry for the delay, this takes me longer than it used to. Feedback, good, bad, or otherwise is welcomed.

Cheers,

M.D


	17. End of the Line

For the first time Fiona was coming to grips with what her stories called the curse of the Guardian. Pain was plentiful in the world of mortals, but death was always there for you when you needed a way out. Johnny didn't have the reaper waiting for him, only the promise of more pain and suffering.

"Can you pick him up?" the fox asked of her Mobian companion.

Amy nodded assuringly as he knelt down to his side.

"Good, get him ready."

At least she was willing to help. Whether that was because Johnny was her friend or she decided that listening to the ex-dominion agent might be a good idea, Fiona didn't care.

Ignoring the body on the sidewalk, the vixen stepped over the Dominion agent's corpse doing her best to put the deceased man out of her mind. Not even a half block back she had seen a tattered shopping cart. While not ideal, it would hold the broken Guardian until she could find a more suitable mode of transportation.

Grabbing it by the handles she pushed it down the sidewalk. Fiona watched as Johnny emerged from the motel, a hedgehog propping him up at his waist. She could see a dull smile growing on his face.

"Fiona," the man began, "I sincerely hope you have a plan."

"You're the Guardian," the fox replied, "it's time to pull your weight."

With Amy's help, they lowered the tall lanky creature into the basket. Johnny's limbs spilled over the side, making him look more out of place than ever.

"Pull my weight? I can barely stand," he remarked.

_What happened to you Johnny? Where is the fight?_

"Why don't you use some of those special powers and dress us up a little?"

"I can't use them on others."

Johnny shifted from side to side trying desperately to find a comfortable way to sit in the rickety wireframe stroller.

"Bullshit," the vixen spat back at him, "they told me you couldn't leave the city, but here you are, a thousand miles from home. How?"

"I…" Johnny began, but Fiona wasn't done.

"They told me you couldn't use your powers to influence anything but your own safety, yet you were able to save her. How?"

"I – I don't know."

_Yes you do, you just don't want to admit it._

"The rules don't apply to you like they used to, Johnny. Can't you see that?"

Fiona was approaching a jog, and given the condition of the ground, she wasn't doing the Guardian any favors. Bumps and loose stones alike traveled easily through the steel frame leaving them to be absorbed in Johnny's already ill body. The look on his face was growing sourer with each crack in the sidewalk.

"Any day now, Johnny" Fiona urged him as the approached a busy street.

If she hadn't seen his magic before, the fox might have stopped to admire it. Amy instantly grew three feet complete with a full set of Dominion armor. Looking down, Fiona found herself pushing a gurney instead of a shopping cart. Atop it rested an injured and bleeding soldier.

"Not bad," the hedgehog noted immediately.

No one would get in there way looking like this. Dominion armor was intimidating enough, but in case that wasn't enough the illusion of an injured shoulder would hopefully give them the benefit of the doubt. Curious to see her own disguise, the red furred fox held out her paw at a distance, disappointed to find nothing had changed.

_You forget about me, _Fiona panicked before seeing her reflection in a window.

Instead of a Mobian there was a medium height paramedic staring back.

_Not bad,_ she agreed silently.

A crowed of people stood silently at the intersection, many of them now taking note of the out of place visitors. Dominion Agents were not thought of any more highly than Mobians, so it was of little surprise when no one jumped to move out of their pat.

"come on people, move it," the faux paramedic yelled out.

The way they stared at them, Fiona could only hope that Johnnies disguises were still working.

_I don't even belong here when I am not wearing my own skin,_ the fox laughed lightheartedly.

Aiming the cart down one of the side streets, Fiona put a warn down painters van in her sights. Unfortunately she couldn't be seen pushing an injured soldier into anything that resembled a vehicle more suited to kidnappings.

_Perhaps Johnny can fix this to,_ she thought.

"Johnny, she leaned over to whisper in her patients ear.

When she had his attention the fox nodded at the vehicle in front of them.

"I'm not sure I can do that much at once."

_I don't think you have a choice._

The curious crowed was closing in behind them, about ready to round the corner themselves. At the last possible moment a siren and insignias appeared. It did little to improve the overall condition of what was obviously a rusted out work vehicle, but given the condition of Rocksburrow, it probably fit in just fine for an ambulance.

With Amy's help, Fiona dumped the man into the back of the van. No matter how hard he concentrated he would never be able to bend light into a working gurney. Closing the doors behind the now moaning man, the fox bound around the side of the vehicle helping herself to the driver seat.

"Where will we be going, Miss Fox?" the Guardian asked after she shut the door behind her.

Fiona didn't have time to state the obvious. Leaning under the dash she grabbed a hand full of wires and pulled them away from the console. Older model cars were painfully easy to hot wire. The vixen twisted the ignition and power cables together causing the engine to cough its way to life.

_There's a joke about thieving Mobians in here somewhere,_ Fiona smiled to herself as she returned to her full height.

Adjusting the mirror she found Johnny still longing for an answer.

"You tell me," she replied bluntly, "You're the local."

The red furred fox could feel the man's eyes prying at her. Rather than return his gaze, she shifted the van into gear.

It wasn't until she pulled onto the main road that he bothered to respond, "I'm afraid I don't remember much about this town.

_Then why come here? _She asked with her eyes when she stole a glance at the Guardian through the rear view mirror.

"What were you doing out here Johnny? Why run all this way?"

"I – I don't know…" he responded weakly.

"If you wanted to keep Amy safe, why not go back to The Den? No one can touch you there."

It didn't take Fiona long to recall a time when she and Jake had overstepped their welcome. The Den was not someplace you went when you were looking to cause trouble, let alone capture someone.

"I was searching for myself," Johnny answered simply.

For all the answers that he could have provided this was perhaps the one she could respect the most. The vixen had spent the better part of her life looking for where belonged. She was almost envious that he had taken time to try and sort it all out.

_You still haven't found yourself, Fi._

"Find Anything?" the fox asked as sincerely as she could.

Exhaling deeply Johnny struggled to respond, "No… I just know part of my life used to be here and I thought if I came back here I might find it."

_Used to be here?_

"There was no subtle fade in or childhood memories for me. I woke up naked in city morgue without a purpose."

_Without memories… who are we?_

Fiona struggled to contemplate what type of person she would be now if she didn't have the past she did.

_Would it make me a better person?_

Actions were supposed to speak louder than words, but she wanted nothing to do with half the things she had done. With her memories gone would the vixen be any better than she was now? Would she be any worse?

_No, _she decided, _our memories don't define us, they give us purpose. _

That only made Johnny's situation harder to swallow. Waking up to nothing would be hard on anyone. Blank spaces where there should be all the joys of life.

"Do you know what it's like not to die, Miss Fox? What it's like to live a leave a life you never knew you had behind? What it's like to have a gap so large in your memory that the only thin you can remember is waking up and existing?"

In truth it was impossible to understand what he was talking about without experiencing it.

_No wonder he's looking for himself._

"No. I don't," the fox relented.

"I've felt enough pain to fill five lives and that's not counting the one I can't remember."

_Pain,_ she thought,_ I know a thing or two about that._

Narrowing her gaze she tried to meet his eyes through the mirror, "You're barking up the wrong tree. Until you have done the thing I have had to do…"

He might have been more intimate with physical pain, but even with his rather tragic memory loss, she had him beat when it came to emotional pain. The scars it left were invisible, yet were often the deepest. There were things Fiona would never forget, destined haunt her until she died.

_Maybe you should be thankful you can't remember anything._

"Oh, you mean like sell us all out," Amy chimed in.

Fiona decided to resign herself from the conversation. She had sold them all out, but not because she thought she had any choice in the matter. The vixen had done what anyone else would have done. No one needed to remind her how selfish it was, least of all this pink hedgehog.

"Was it worth it?" the quilled creature persisted, "Did you even care?"

_You mean was Miles worth it? _

The answer to that question always had been and still was, _yes._

"Miss Rose," Johnny intervened, "it's best not to meddle in things you don't fully understand."

No one understood and they never would, which is why the red furred fox was content to abstain from arguing.

"Oh I understand them just fine. Fiona sold us all out so she could keep living. One life for thousands."

No doubt everyone shared her sentiment, or almost everyone.

_Perhaps if my memories were gone love wouldn't have gotten in the way._

Fiona couldn't help but let a tear escape as her eyes welled up. It didn't matter that Amy was trying to make her feel bad when the hedgehog was right. Staring through the prisms in her eyes, the fox turned onto a road leading out of town.

"If I told you how sorry I was," the vixen began with a small but very sincere sniffle, "and that I regretted everything. Would you forgive me? "

The fox was sorry, but the unfortunate reality was no one cared.

_They don't understand what it's like to sacrifice the one you love._

"No," Amy answered, only proving Fiona's point.

Normally she thought herself above petty arguments, but the vixen wanted to demonstrate why people shouldn't throw stones when they live in a glass house.

"And I have no doubt Princess Sally will have a similar opinion of you."

Almost instantly, the fox got the reaction she expected. Amy's eyes widened as she growled, "How dare you…"

"Ladies," the guardian scolded them.

_She underestimates me… just like everyone else. _

There was a reason the Red Shadow was a feared name in Capital City. Most Mobians had never made the connection that Julian's pet was one and the same. The vixen was nothing more than a traitor to her own kind, leaving little room for apprehension.

"But she knows about," Amy began before being cut off by Johnny.

"I know, and it doesn't matter. You two are going to have to try and get along."

Much like the Guardians, knowing her enemy's secrets was a large part of Fiona's life. However, just like everything else in her life, it was not something that she wasn't proud of.

"For what it's worth, no one else knows…" the fox sighed as her foot found the break pedal.

"But you just said you were going to tell the princess."

_A secret like this never stays hidden forever, surely you're not that naïve. _

"I doubt I will have to when this is all over. Besides, it's not my place to tell her."

For once in her life there was no one to force her to convey every shred of information she gathered. Fiona could decide for herself and finally obey the conscious she had been at odds with for years.

"Where are you taking us?" the hedgehog inquired as the road grew bumpier.

_Blue Flow Steel, _the fox read fading billboard sign as she drove into the entrance. The old steel mill had been around forever, and most of its rail yards were still in use. It was a perfect spot to smuggle people out of this city.

"Blue Flow Steel," the man behind her announced, seemingly aware of his surroundings.

It was not a pretty looking place. Oxidization had set in, coating the less the picturesque landscape in a layer of rust. The tiny wasteland was a reminder of what could become of places that society neglected.

"I thought this was all new to you?" Fiona asked, unsure of what a place like this could possibly mean to him.

"It feels like déjà vu. There's something in the back of my mind trying to claw its way out."

Having a whole lifetime stolen from him made Johnny a bit much of an enigma for the vixen's liking. There was know way to know who or what he was in his past life, and if this place was bringing him closer to it, then she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to find out.

_It's the only way out of here,_ the fox reminded herself.

"Before the war this place was what put Rocksburrow on the map. Nearly a quarter of this nation's steel was produced here. However, Rocksburrow was where many of the Mobians fled. So, logically Kintobor nearly flattened it in an attempt to root out the Resistance."

"I know about that part."

Most people did. Despite efforts to clean up Kintobor's tumultuous past, the history of his atrocity lingered in easy to find places.

"To make things right, Julian offered to rebuild everything, but it's debatable how well that's worked out. Miles blew up the second factory, and even before that this place was a shadow of its former self. Now, there's almost nothing left."

"So, why bring us here?" Amy asked.

_At least she is back to asking questions._

"It's out of the way and the Resistance has used it in the past to move people and supplied. The rail yards are just on the other side of the building."

"And then what?" the hedgehog pressed

_Isn't it obvious?_

"Back to Capital City."

"No!" both of her new friends stammered in defiance.

"I'm never going back there," Johnny assured her. "Not as long as I can be free."

Turning to face him, she pressed a finger into his chest, "I don't think you two understand how this works. I save your asses, and then I take you where it's best for everyone."

"How could Capital City be best for everyone?" the Guardian asked desperately. "Didn't we just get done telling you that Julian is still alive? Why could you possibly want to go back there?"

_Because you're my ticket to seeing Miles again._

"I don't care if he's immortal, running away now isn't going to help anyone but yourselves. Johnny and Knuckles made it clear that I have to bring you back."

"In exchange for what?" he asked in a more condescending tone.

It wasn't too surprising that he figured it out. The Johnnies always worked for money or favors. Fiona wouldn't have risked coming out here unless it meant getting something she wanted as well.

"What does it matter to you?"

"It matters quiet a bit, Miss Fox."

The fox stared blankly back at him, _only because you want to make this difficult._

"You have the audacity to go as far as to accuse us of being selfish when this whole charade could be for your own personal gain. What does bringing us back alive get you exactly?

_Fine, you caught me._

"Miles."

"What happened to him?" Johnny asked, slightly taken aback.

"Your guess is as good as mine," the vixen replied as she hopped out of the van, making sure to give the door an extra hard slam.

"Miss Fox," Johnny called after her frantically, his footsteps oddly out of rhythm.

Fiona was not about to let him change her mind now. She had come this far with far worse men chasing her before.

"I think it's important to consider what could be happening in Capital City right now," he shouted after her, "Is that really where you want to be?"

The vixen wanted to laugh, "Where I want to be? No, but it's where I need to be. If Dr. Kintobor is rounding up resistance fighters we need to stop him."

"Yes, but I am not sure there is much we can do."

Johnny had become weak. Guardians were supposed to be fearsome creatures. It was no wonder Fiona was able to boss him around so easily.

"Do you know what he does with prisoners?" the red furred fox asked as she spun around to meet his gaze.

Almost no one did, but she wouldn't put it past a Guardian to not only know, but turn a blind eye to it. Both of the vixen's friends shook their heads.

"I do, and it doesn't end well, especially for the Resistance. They're dead inside of two weeks and wishing they were after one. If he has Miles…"

Fiona had always thought killing people once was good enough. If Julian truly was behind this, the vulpine would gladly welcome a chance to feel the satisfaction of putting another bullet in his head.

"Or Sonic," Amy added.

_Or Sonic._

That was truly the most alarming part of all this. Kintobor had captured the only Mobian that stood a chance of stopping him.

"And I for one would not like to find out what he would do with a Guardian."

"You can't die," Fiona felt the need to remind him.

"And neither can he apparently. The difference is I feel pain but he thrives on it."

She could feel the outline of the Power Ring press itself against her back mid stride. All it took was once touch to remove Johnny from his connection to the source. All his problems, his curse, would disappear.

"If it's the pain you're scared of, I can help."

"I'm afraid only the source is capable of removing that burden."

_The source and me,_ the Vixen thought as she crossed her arms, dawning one of her characteristically wry smiles.

"Miss Fox," the man began again.

"Fiona," she snapped back at him.

_Why does he insist on being so formal? _

"Fiona, I don't wish to argue, but perhaps there is another way."

"You can argue all you want, but the next train leaves in two hours. Both of you will be on it," the fox growled at them subtly.

For all the times she had been to Rocksburrow she had never bothered to step foot inside the colossal ghost town. It was the end of the line for the North Western Rail line. One massive depot once filled to the brim with steel and other raw materials. Basking in emptiness, there was no way to remove the eerie feeling of being watched, not then, and certainly not now. Time had changed nothing but her allegiance.

_I wish this didn't feel like a trap._

The fox watched with a cautious eye as her comrades spilt away in search of anything meaningful inside the desolate enclosure. Making her way out to the center, she marveled at its size. Every sound they made echoed proactively off the tin siding. The other end of the warehouse was hundreds of feet away with only a handful of large machines in between.

"Did you find anything?" she called out to them.

A response came back in unison, "No."

_Even if they did, why would they tell me?_

"Well that's a shame," a new voice responded.

It however, was one the vixen recognized. The man it belonged to had hounded her for years.

_No wonder it felt like a trap._

"Adam," she laughed before turning to face him, "I thought you were dead."

The soldier was one of three, fully armored. Nothing about getting out of this situation was going to be easy. Fiona didn't need to look around to know there was no cover. This would be like shooting fish in a barrel if it came to that.

"Nah, the doc fixed me up real good on the account of my loyalty and all. Shame you had to go and kill him. Colin just ain't the same."

_Still as full of himself as he always was._

"Adam, you never were better than Foxtrot, what makes you think you are now?"

"Mostly on the account of I got this armor and a lot more guns that you."

_Fair point,_ she decided, _but I'm still me and you're still you._

Not a single human saw her reach for her weapon, and it wasn't until she fired that any of them reacted. Much to her chagrin, however, none of them even flinched. The .50 round was supposed to go through their armor, yet all it did was bounce off.

"Like I said," Adam answered back as he stared back at her from the other end of her sites, "I got this armor on. The doc made it real special, so it's going to take more than your little toy gun to go through it."

_That stupid Guardian better be feeling better. _

"Johnny," the vulpine panicked, "I think I am going to need some of your help."

Unlike most people, she wasn't above asking for it. Help, after all, is how she had managed to stay alive for so long.

"Running to your Guardian? How cute," the man teased. "Did you miss your human so much you had to go and find another?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Fiona could see Johnny casually strolling towards her.

_Just take your time, no rush._

"Alright then," the vixen shouted at them, "how do you assholes want to do this?"

"Do what? Kill you?" Adam asked nonchalantly.

_He makes it sound like it will be easy._

The truth was it certainly wouldn't be hard.

"There he is," the Dominion Agent called out when the tall lanky Guardian came into view. "I knew he would be lurking around here somewhere."

_Sure you did._

"Get lost," Johnny said casually while reaching into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

"Make us," someone new shouted back.

With a tobacco stick in his mouth, Johnny lifted his hand to light it. Almost instantly all the guns shifted towards him.

"You snap your fingers and we'll turn you into Swiss cheese!"

"Relax fellas," the Guardia replied politely as he lowered his hands.

"Where is she? Where is the hedgehog?"

"What do you need with her?" Fiona inquired sincerely.

She still couldn't see what value a tiny pink hedgehog had in all of this.

"Look gentlemen, I don't want you to get your panties in a bunch," Johnny said more agitated this time, "but I'm afraid you'll have to go through me if you want to deal with Miss Rose."

_How cute…_

Raising his hand upwards, the Guardian threatened to snap his fingers.

_I don't get it, what's he going to do?_

**SNAP**

Nothing changed, nothing exploded, and everyone was still standing. Just as she was about to inform Johnny that his plan was not going well, something else caught her attention. Another fox stood next to her, a perfect copy of the vixen that would have stared back at her if she were looking in a mirror. The illusion broke into a sprint, destined for cover that by anyone's standards was too far.

Looking down at her paw again, Fiona could see the subtle hints of light bending around her. The vixen could see everything, but no one could see her.

_This is what it's like,_ she pondered while watching a well crafted copy of herself be gunned down. It was a painful thing to behold one's own mortality, even from a safe distance.

_This is what it's like to be able to disappear, _she thought again dumbfounded at the power Guardians wielded. Only with the help of a power ring had Tails been able to disappear from site, but the man standing to her left could control light itself.

"Good riddance you fifthly animal," Adam spat on her imaginary corpse.

_At least he didn't bother to kick me, _she thought knowing the illusion would never hold up to any physical scrutiny.

"I'm not going to ask you again! Where is the hedgehog?" the soldier demanded as he approached the Guardian.

For a brief moment, Johnny made eye contact with her, as if to say, "I know you're still alive."

Shifting his gaze back to soldiers he smiled, "Am I the only person wondering what happened when I snapped my finders?"

Each of the agents shuffled their feet as they looked around nervously.

Only Adam was undeterred, "I know what you are, Jonny. Your powers are useless here!"

"I'm glad you think so."

Bringing his hand to the man's face, the Guardian prepared his fingers.

"If you do anything other than tell me where that hedgehog is, I'll make sure that we take the time to bury you in four separate holes. I'd love to see how that works out for you."

Reaching in the leather satchel on her back, Fiona took hold of the power ring. It still hummed with more power than she could comprehend. She didn't even have to coax the untamed energy out, it was already flowing through every vein in her body.

Walking up behind Adam, the vixen found herself on her tippy toes, leaning in just waiting for Johnny to snap his fingers again. It was like the starting gun at a race, there to alleviate her anxiety and start the fun.

**SNAP**

"That shiver you feel running down your spine," she began coolly in an all but seductive voice, "is the fear making your hair stand end."

The man shrunk at least an inch, too scared to move.

One of his agents, however, took his chances, spinning around to face her. Unfortunately the fox had already leapt into the air, spinning with all the force she could muster. Fiona's kick found the center of his chest, rocketing him backwards at a speed even she was having trouble believing. If the blow alone hadn't broken over half the bones in his chest, then the impact of hitting the side of the building nearly seventy feet away certainly did.

Everyone looked on dumbfounded, unsure of how something like that was even possible. The answer lied in her inexperience operating a power ring. The vixen was used to hitting things as hard as she could, but when she did that using the seeming limitless power inside the small golden circlet, the results were often breathtaking.

Ready to grab the next Dominion agent, Fiona was surprised to find a hedgehog already sneaking up behind him. Using an old rusty Pico branded sledge hammer, Amy swept the legs of the unsuspecting agent. The swiftness at which dolled out the follow up swing suggested she had done this before. Turning away, the red furred fox cringed at the sound of the mallet caving in a reinforced steel helmet.

Adam, in his infinite wisdom, had finally decided to do something. Bringing his rifle to his shoulder, the man sought to shoot anything that moved. Warm lumps of lead poured out of the bore of his gun as he sprayed the room. Dancing around his frantic excuse for aiming was not difficult, even Amy managed to duck out of the way in time.

Fiona was surprised to find how easily she could bend metal. As soon as the vixen latched on to the barrel of his gun, she found herself wanting to tie it into a bow. Instantly, the weapon backfired, forcing the Dominion Agent to drop it and stumble backwards.

"Why do you underestimate us?" the vulpine asked as she approached the now frightened man.

His only response was a desperate roar as he attempted pound her into the pavement. However, as strong as he was, his armor would slow him down to a snail's pace in her eyes. Not wanting to overdo things this time, Fiona opened up the palm of her hand and struck him squarely in the chest the way she might in a mock fight.

To her surprise, the man still flew backwards over ten feet, skidding to a stop on his backside. When Adam got up, he appeared to have lost the will to fight, turning instead to run. Chasing him down wouldn't have been hard, but it would have been tiring. The power ring didn't make her faster, just stronger.

"Aren't we going to stop him," Amy asked as she joined the vixen's side.

Fiona's only response was an open hand reaching for something she didn't have. The hedgehog seemed to understand, offering up the oversized rusty mallet without complaint. Twirling the twenty pound hammer in her hands if were no more than a baton, the vixen inhaled, gauging the toss. Without the power ring in her other hand, she might have manage to throw something like this all of fifteen feet, instead the sledgehammer spun end over end racing towards her target like a throwing axe.

The sound of the collision was second only to the Dominion Agents scream. Adam wriggled in pain, rolling around on the ground, struggling to get himself upright again. Once he realized that was no longer an option, he reached for the pistol strapped to his leg. It might have been a problem if Fiona hadn't been anticipating it. Before he could even aim, she had his hand lined up in her own sites. His armor was tough enough to keep bullets out, but it wouldn't prevent her from shooting the gun out of his hand.

"It's the end of the line, Adam," Fiona began as she knelt down to pick up the sledgehammer. "When will you learn? Aren't you afraid you will have to run back to Colin and tell him you failed?"

It was no wonder the man couldn't get up. Seeing as his armor was bent well out of place, there was little doubt that his leg was as well.

"You won't change anything by killing me."

Handing the hammer back to Amy, the fox responded, "You're probably right, so why bother? Although it is such a shame you seem to have only broken one leg this time."

Standing back Fiona walked past him, making sure to nod subtly to the pink hedgehog. She seemed to take the hint rather well judging by the sound that followed. The vixen didn't need to watch her break any bones, the sound of metal being crushed and the cries of thoroughly defeated man painted the picture just fine. This was one instance where she was quite happy history had repeated itself.

"We're just going to leave him here like that?" Johnny asked as he caught up to the fox. "It seems cruel to abandon him in that state."

_Cruel,_ the vixen repeated to herself. _You clearly have no idea what cruel is._

* * *

As promised, the other half. Let me know your thoughts.

Also, for anyone watching, enjoy the fight tonight.

Cheers,

M.D


	18. Standing Together

With his eyes still closed, Tails let Fiona's image drift away as he replaced it with the glowing gaze behind the dark machine's recessed sockets. There was no life there, not even the flicker of a soul. The metallic version of Sonic was an abomination, a creature stripped of its unique properties re-purposed to suit the evil mind of a fallen dictator.

Anything that was as quick as Sonic should be impossible to kill. Lacking the fundamental flaws that made a person who they were there were not even reactions, reflexes, or emotions to take advantage of.

_Only __programming__, _the kit almost smiled.

Robots were like any other computer driven device, limited inherently by the depth of their programmer's vision. It's ability to extrapolate, react, and process new information were all directly dependent on Julian's ability to predict the scenarios it might encounter.

Combat was likely the primary focus, but was there something else that this metal Sonic was loosely aware of that the fox might be able to exploit. A logic bomb was on obvious choice. A simple request to compute something that was incomputable, but anything this advanced would likely drop the process within a few microseconds. Even then, Tails doubted that this overgrown computer would take an order from him anyway.

"I'm waiting Mr. Prower," the fat man had the audacity to proclaim as if he were the one doing the dirty work.

Life was considerably easier when you had someone to fight your battles for you. This machine would lay down it's life for the doctor at the drop of a hat.

_And that's how I'll win._

"Waiting…it looks to me like you're dying," the freedom fighter responded.

Tails continued to concentrate on his labored breathing. He didn't need to open his eyes to know the man was staring back at him with an inquisitive look.

"The blood is still running down your cheek, can't you feel it? From where she shot you."

If there was one part of immortality that the kit did not envy, it was having the memory of dying seared into your mind. Just brushing up against the reaper was enough to give most pause, but death was not something that most arrived at without pain. Even the likes of Kintobor would be haunted by it's presence.

Julian stared back at him, determined to maintain an unyielding façade. However, the man could not bring himself to reply, to denounce the claim that he feared his end and the suffering that came along with it. One of his swollen hands inexplicably reached up to feel for something that wasn't there.

The silence in the desolate underground bunker was beyond palpable, the hesitation unending, broken only by the sound of the robot's servos motors actuating. Tails managed to open his eyes just in time to watch the machine face its creator as if it too were concerned that he were peril.

_The link is there, it's protecting him._

With a fresh breath of life, the two-tailed fox tightened his grip on his blade and swung with everything he had left. Robot or not, it was still limited to the senses it was given. With no eyes in the back of its head, it never saw the knife destined for its back. The kit's blade splintered its steel skull just like any other, digging into the heart of its CPU.

Much like a real Mobian might have, the machine struggled while its brain's connections were severed. In its final dying moments, electrons haphazardly found their path to an endpoint, causing the machine to spasm before loosing power all together.

"You," the fat man sputtered, "you tricked me. You – you tricked it, youu - you made it think I was in trouble."

"No," Tails answered as he tried to pry his knife away, "you did that. I didn't tell you to be concerned, and I didn't tell it to be concerned for you."

With a roar of frustration, Julian raised his stolen weapon and fired.

Thankfully, while heavy, dead robots made rather nice shields. The kit had managed to prop up Sonic's metallic counterpart up just long enough to ward of Kintobor's salvo. When the gun clicked empty, he heaved a sigh of relief before releasing the robian.

Almost instantly Julian began to back pedal, dropping Tails' silver Beretta.

"You can't kill me," the doctor insisted despite the fact that there was nothing left to keep the Mobian at bay. "No one can kill me."

"You're already dead," the fox felt compelled to remind him.

Never mind that the Freedom Fighter just happened to be in the datacenter that more than likely housed all his memories. Kintobor was nothing more than a bunch of bits and bytes stored on hard disk, a problem easily solved with a simple press of a delete key.

With an ear splitting screech Tails finally managed to free his knife from the robot's dead carcass. Locking eyes with Julian, he felt compelled to don a wry smirk, the very kind he had learned from another fox.

"Fiona had her turn with you, now I think it's only fair I have mind."

That was all it took to send the man running. Kintobor typically thrived on his own arrogance, so certain of his inability to fail that he hardly ever put a thought into what would happen if he did. Like all other creatures too weak to stand and face their own demise, he chose instead to tuck his tail and scamper away.

The fox, however, was in no condition to run after the fat man, not after what the robian had done to him. Breathing was a struggle, Tails could barely imagine what it would feel like to run. Instead he rolled the blade in hand, spinning it as he lined up his target.

Kintobor had nearly made it to the door when the knife connected with his round posterior. Growling in pain, the fat man fell to the floor before reaching back to remove the black steel blade.

Tails stumbled forward, desperately trying to catch up with the dictator before he was able to get any further. With an exasperated grasp, Julian managed to free himself from the kit's weapon, letting it clatter to the ground.

Laughing, almost manically, the two-tailed fox couldn't help but think how amusing it was that history was repeating itself.

"Laugh all you want Mr. Prower," the man answered as he crawled towards the exit. "There won't be much else for you to do in here."

It was only then that the kit noticed the vault like door was already shutting, and with Kintobor now on the other side he had little hope of catching up. Hastening his stride, he was forced to stop when he remembered his friend. Sonic was still lying unconscious on the floor.

_I can't just leave him._

Accepting his fate he watched as the sliver of light shrunk until there was nothing but darkness. How long would he last with only his thoughts to keep him company.

"You missed," a raspy voice quipped, "again."

_And a smug hedgehog… _

"Does his ass really not count?"

"That's like hitting water when you fall out of a boat, it's not particularly hard to do."

Chuckling, the fox wandered towards the sound of his friend's voice, "How are you feeling?"

"Like the sun is inside my head, my brain feels like it's being cooked alive.

"Somehow that's not surprising, you're probably thinking too hard," Miles joked back.

When he found his fellow Freedom Fighter, the kit took up a spot next to him on the floor.

"How did you manage to find me little cuz? I thought I was done."

"A bit of luck I guess. You have Colin to thank mostly."

"Colin, Really?"

Reluctantly, the kit nodded knowing full well the quilled Mobian would not be able to see him. Sure the short man had never actually intended to rescue Sonic, but without his curiosity, Tails would have never found him.

"So now what?" the hedgehog asked in all but a whisper.

"That's a good question."

They were trapped hundreds of feet below the surface and behind a steel door serval feet thick. It stood to reason there was no getting out unless they were let out. The most the Freedom Fighters could hope for was finding a way to communicate with the outside world, but the chamber seemed strangely devoid of even a hint of a terminal.

"Well do you know where we are?"

"Not really," he admitted all-be-it reluctantly.

"What did you do, break into this place by accident?" Sonic attempted to laugh.

"Yeah, pretty much. It's a listening post. I don't think anyone but Julian knows it exists."

"Listening post?"

"Half the world's flow of data passes through this bunker. Kintobor probably used it to spy on everyone. It certainly explains how he was able to track down hackers as easily as he was. Now I suspect he uses it to back himself up in real time."

"I don't know if that's what he's trying to do anymore," the hedgehog concluded. "He cloned me..."

"And himself. He knows how to interface with the machines he creates now. As long as Julian has a roboticized clone of himself, he can just download all his memories to a new body."

"That seems like cheating," Sonic sighed, his breathing deepening as he fought off what had to be the worst headache of his life.

"But we've got him on the run."

"The run," his friend laughed frantically, "all he has to do is wait until we die of starvation or dehydration."

"Someone will find us," Tails insisted.

"Will they?"

"I found you!"

"But who's left to find you?"

_Fiona,_ or at least he wanted to say her name. The kit wasn't so sure he could count on her support anymore. To make matters worse it was largely Sonic's fault. This whole time they had let the fox believe he was responsible for turning her world upside down.

"Sally," the vulpine pointed out.

"If she's smart she won't come anywhere near this place. If Kintobor can get to me then he can get to anyone."

"Get to you," Tails snorted. "You mean use someone against you."

"You - you know?"

He nodded again, hoping the silence between them was enough to answer his question. While he didn't approve of Sonic's questionable ethics and lack of commitment to the princess, this wasn't the time or place to reprimand his friend.

"What about Sally? Does she know? " he begged.

"No, she doesn't," the fox hesitated, "Fiona was the one who figured it out."

Sonic remained quiet, probably trying to figure out how long he potentially had before the princess found out about his affair. In his mind, he saw the vixen as a traitor, ready to turn him in at a moment's notice.

"She won't tell her," Miles insisted, "she has no reason to."

That was a rather large lie. As things stood she had at least a dozen reasons to tell Sally, but somehow he doubted Fiona wanted to talk to any of them ever again, even for the sake of revenge.

"Won't she come looking for you?" Sonic asked, almost desperately now.

"Fiona?" the kit asked rhetorically, "I'm not so sure anymore."

"What happened? I thought you two were crazy about each other."

Sonic said it in tone that bordered on mocking. The kit wanted to be angry, but instead sighed, "She found out what you guys did to Colin."

Sonic was silent again, only the sound of his shallow breaths filled the room.

"I don't know where she is anymore," the two-tailed fox continued, "but I wouldn't count on her rescuing us. She blames me just as much as all of you."

"But you had nothing to do with it, you didn't even know about it. Did you?"

This time the kit shook his head, "I had no idea, but can you imagine how things look from her end?"

"You mean the nerdy fox not having anything to do with a tamperproof collar, while his technically illiterate friends were supposedly masterminding the project. Yeah, I think I could see why she might blame you. She never met Rotor though."

That was true. In their small two-week stay at Knothole, Tails had never thought to introduce the vixen to the rather bulbous walrus. The Mobian was beyond genius despite the fact he lacked some rather odd mental faculties. Designing machinery and gadgets impervious to Julian's conquest was what Rotor did every day.

"Rotor isn't exactly a people person. He can barely remember our names."

"It was our one shot at getting someone inside Kintobor's organization. Someone he might trust."

"Well you succeeded," Tails was quick to retort.

"Look, we never intended for it to get so out of hand."

"That's hardly an excuse. Taking over someone's life like that... how does it make us any better than him?"

"It doesn't," Sonic conceded, "but it's impossible to win a war when the other side is willing to get their hands dirtier than yours."

"That's not true, and you know it! Winning might be harder, but it's never impossible."

"Sometimes I forget that talking with you is like talking with myself ten years ago - idealistic and righteous."

"Yeah, and what happened to that Sonic? What happened to the person who told me that if you're fighting for the sake of fighting, you might end up forgetting what you're fighting for?"

With a lighthearted chuckle, the hedgehog sighed, "he got tired of fighting."

"If we have to stoop to Julian's level to beat him, no one will think any different of us, we won't have won anything."

"And what happens if we never win at all?"

_Then we die._

"Then none of this will have ever mattered, will it?"

His friend paused a moment, relishing in the silence before asking, "How long have I been down here."

That was hard to say. It had been nearly a month since he had last seen the hedgehog.

"What was the last thing you remember?"

The kit's eyes were finally starting to adjust to the dark again, making it easier to see the world weighing heavily on his friend. The blue-quilled Mobian struggled to close his eyes and think, seemingly afraid of what he might find there.

"Amy," he relented, "I went to see her the night before I was supposed to track down Naugus."

"Then you have been enjoying Kintobor's company for nearly three weeks."

"Thr-three weeks!"

"Night Shade is nasty stuff. It dilutes time to the point where it seems like it stands still. I can't even imagine the night mares you had."

Sonic was silent again.

"It's normal. In small doses the stuff will show you dreams so real you won't be able to tell the difference between being awake and a drug induced coma. That's why people get addicted to it - they crave getting everything they desire. But just like anything else, you build a tolerance to it and it takes more and more to get to have the same affect. If you take too much, dreams will quickly turn into nightmares and everything you fear in life will be there to great you."

"I'm still trying to separate it all... what's real and what isn't."

"The only thing that's changed is that Colin is dead," the two-tailed fox replied as he nodded to the dead man only a few paces away.

"What about Ixis then?"

Tails paused a moment, wondering if the man had been audacious enough to exactly what Julian had done to Fiona.

_Are their lives linked the same way? If Colin dies will the bracelets detonate?_

"I'm not sure. I suppose he could be dead too."

"So there's no one left to fight him - to fight Robotnik."

"Robotnik?"

"Don't ask me, Julian's the one who deiced he was going to spell his name backwards."

"It is more fitting," the fox admitted reluctantly.

"Someone needs to stop him."

Attempting to find his balance, Sonic found himself stumbling a few steps before falling face first into the concrete. Inching towards the cobalt Mobian's side, Tails put a paw beneath his shoulder. Neither was in any condition to fight, but together they could stand.

"How are we going to get out of here, little cuz?"

Locking eyes with the dead robot the fox replied, "I think we will ask for some help."

With as much vigor as he could muster, the kit began a long shuffle to retrieve his weapons.

* * *

Summers tend to get hard for me to keep up. I have a lot going on. I will finish this story though. Thanks to anyone who is still reading.

Cheers,

M.D.


	19. It's Just a Name

Miss Rose leaned against him with a grumpy sigh. It was to be expected. There was nothing entertaining let a lone comfortable about being stuck in a box car destined for Capital City.

"Why can't we sit up front?" she complained before shifting her weight again, "You could disguise us all."

The man chuckled for a moment. It was true, he could have, but there was no way he could have kept it up for more than a couple of minutes. It would have been impossible to hide all three of them the whole way back.

"It's safer back here, Miss Rose, it's safer back here."

Nodding in the vixen's direction the pink hedgehog didn't hesitate to remark, "no it's not."

Fiona was certainly more interesting in person. It was tough to place her, and even as she shot a hardened glance in his direction, the man couldn't help but feel amused. Sitting on the other side of the car, the infamous red-furred fox was happy to mind her own business so long as they stayed in sight and out of trouble.

"We don't need her, Johnny," the hedgehog assured him.

If life thus far had taught him anything, it was that needing help was a certainty, accepting it hinged only on pride and desperation.

"I don't care if she saved us, we still don't have any reason to trust her."

"Perhaps not," he admitted, "but you saw what happened when I tried to fight them on my own. We're safer as long as she's here."

"But she's taking us back to Capital City," Amy complained "What's so safe about that?"

"Everything and nothing."

If the Dominion had tracked them down inside of a month, there would be no hiding from them. The Den was their best option and it conveniently came with the luxury of two additional Guardians. At the very least, it would probably be one of the last places they would look.

_Who returns to the place they are running away from?_

Johnny's eyes then drifted back over to the fox causing him to chuckle, _perhaps the better question is, who doesn't?_

If he didn't know better the Vixen was wearing a mask. Her expression had been void of emotion since they had boarded this splinter ridden box. It, for the moment, lacked the simple curtesy of judgment that people like her often bestowed on others.

"So what's her story?" Amy asked, shifting positions again. "Her real story."

The man smiled, "I'm not even sure where to start."

"The beginning never hurts."

"That's not so different from yours, Miss Rose. Parents plucked away in front of her eyes and left to fend for herself. But the world pulls us all in different directions."

Johnny watched as Fiona's gaze narrowed. There was little doubt she was listening to them, but what difference would the truth make?

"I mean I get all the stuff with Ixis," the hedgehog admitted, "but why would she work for Julian?"

"Why do any of us do the things we don't want to?" Johnny proposed in return.

_We're forced to. The Source is my Julian, but also my savior._

"Look how many Mobians died because of her. She could have stopped him."

"Didn't she? Hind sight, Miss Rose, is always 20/20. How many of us would have truly done anything different in her position?"

"Who's side are you on here?" Amy stiffened up.

"No one's," Johnny laughed, "That's the point of a Guardian. We always play devil's advocate."

"Well, you seem awfully eager to defend her."

"Only as eager as you are to condemn her."

Flustered the hedgehog crossed her arms and looked away. Her opinion was by no means in the minority. It seemed the world was full of hate for anyone who could participate in their own species genocide.

"The problem," Johnny began, "is that you see someone who had a choice. You see someone who was okay with what they were doing. Neither could be further from the truth."

"Everyone has a choice, Johnny."

"Of course, Miss Rose, but would you decide to stop living right after you found out what it truly meant to be alive? If your entire life has been a struggle and you somehow managed to keep winning, would you just stop and give up?"

Fiona's complexion was softening, only confirming that she was listening to their conversation. The man could assume she was amused that someone had finally taken the time to understand her.

"I don't think that's an excuse," Amy retorted.

"An excuse, Miss Rose, is something you tell yourself and everyone else when you know you're wrong. Fiona hasn't said much of anything on the subject, which leads me to believe she doesn't intend on making any excuses. If you want answers to the tough questions, it might behoove you to ask her for yourself."

"Ask a traitor why they stuck a knife in all our backs? No thanks."

The hedgehog was making little to no effort to hide her malcontent for the vixen or her questionable past.

"You must keep an open mind, Miss Rose. If I carried such an opinion of all my clients I would have never gained their trust."

"You're mistaking me for someone who actually cares about her, Johnny," Amy snorted.

"Does that not make you like her then? A Mobian that doesn't care about another Mobian?"

People often mistook his sincere course of dialogue for backhanded comments meant to insult. Pulling away from his shoulder, the hedgehog quickly retreated to her own corner on the opposite of the train. It seemed that the guardian had offended her.

_It's hard to be everyone's friend. _

The truth was that no one understood him. And who could? He couldn't even be sure he was a real person. He had no memory before he was a Guardian. For all he knew that's all he ever was and would be.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a well-aged mint container.

"Hello, old friend," he said quietly to himself.

With a thumb he popped the lid and begun to stare at the savory treats inside. He had been on the wagon so long would anyone even notice if he slipped up and let a foot drag. He removed one of the lopsided candies… if they could even be called that, holding it delicately in the palm of his hand. Nightshade came in all types of forms, many of which could be disguised as ordinary products.

While the vixen seemed keen on what he was doing, she was not going out of her way to stop him. Her raised eyebrow almost dared him to continue, to defy some type of unwritten rule that she was imposing. They still had at least a day before they were anywhere near Capital City and he couldn't see much reason to be awake for the entire journey.

Sleep was not something Guardians were afforded the luxury of, adding to the pain of his servitude. Whether it was a bi-product of being under The Source's control or merely part of the fabric of a Guardian, Johnny still wasn't sure. The monotony of life dragged on twice as much when there was no time to dream.

_When was the last time I slept,_ the man asked himself as he rolled the narcotic in his fingers.

It was what had attracted him to the substance in the first place. The promise of dreams and the illusion of sleep were enticing side effects for someone who had long forgotten what it felt like to experience either.

A stirring at his side caught Johnny's attention. Looking up, he was surprised to find a fox instead of a hedgehog.

"Miss Fox," he began before she glared back at him.

"I told you, call me Fiona," the vixen replied curtly, not taking her eyes off the tin can in his hands.

"Forgive my formalities, they are second nature."

Leaning against the wall, the red-furred fox slid down the side of the train car until she was sitting at his side.

"As are your habits?" She asked only slightly more politely.

He smiled back at her, "some things never die… Just like me."

"Are you going to be drooling too much too move when the time comes?"

It had been well over a year since temptation had gotten the better of him. This trip would be short and sweet, or at least he hoped.

"I doubt it, Fiona."

Without much more thought, Johnny tossed the near flavorless mint into his mouth and began to let bitter flavor dissolve.

"What do you see?" She asked, "In your dreams?"

Johnny chuckled for a moment before responding, "I used to see the future."

It sounded strange to say out loud, but so many of his nightmares had come to pass in one form or another. Had he not been a Guardian, perhaps there would have been more he could have done to stop them from coming true.

"What about now?"

"I saw my daughter once," he began before trailing off, "I would very much like to see her again."

The Guardian still wasn't sure why he had wandered out to Rocksburrow. Whether he was in search of a life he used to have or one that was purely a figment of his imagination, it didn't make any difference.

_I didn't find anything, _the man sighed.

"Is that who you were looking for?" Fiona asked genuinely.

Johnny smiled back, it was more complicated than that.

"No," he replied before crushing the not so refreshing mint between his teeth, "I know where she is. I needed to know if I existed before I was a Guardian."

The world was beginning to slip, the edges of reality running, bleeding into a cool ether. His vice was taking effect far faster than he anticipated.

"Well, did you?"

There was no way to know for sure. It was possible that he had only seen the things The Source had wanted him to, remnants of another mans life that could have been passed off as his own.

_But why? To make me believe I existed, or to show me I did? And does it even matter?_

"That depends whether you believe existing hinges on having your memories. I suppose it makes it easier for The Source to control us. What are we without our memories, Fiona? Just beings to be molded, not so different than a newborn."

"Those were the old Johnny's memories," the vixen suggested reassuringly, "and they died with him. You're your own person, capable of the same compassion, devotion, and resolve. You're you with or without your old memories. Don't go looking for something you don't need."

At this point he could do little but slur his now dopey voice, "That's kind of you to say, Miss Fox."

She glared back at him, annoyed, but no part of him could place why. In the end her wry grin showed up, making her look like the devious fox she was often described to be.

"Sweet dreams, Johnny," the vixen said in an almost seductive voice.

As she stood, the fox's fur melted into the air, blanketing his vision in a reddened shadow that crackled with the sound of fire. Slowly his eyes began to focus, taking in the outline of a round man in a crimson suit standing at the other end of the street.

"Over here," the stranger called out with a deep menacing voice, "there's another survivor over here."

Johnny found tears rolling down his cheeks and anchor in his stomach. He was once again in a decimated world. Buildings had been raised solely for the purpose of destruction with little regard for those inside. Only hatred could produce such terrible atrocities.

Looking to his left, Johnny once again found himself face to face with the charred ashes of the hospital where he had left Rose. Returning his eyes forward there was only the piercing gaze of the man responsible for her untimely death.

_Julian!_ "You did this!"

"I did," the fat man replied casually.

Anger quickly replaced sorrow and Johnny found himself standing with two clenched fists.

"I'll, I'lll…" Johnny stammered as he watched one Dominion agent after another take their place at the president's side.

Even in his dreams he was helpless against the world.

"You'll what?" Kintobor asked, seemingly amused by the distraught man before him.

"Stop you," Johnny finally settled on for lack of courage.

Julian chuckled briefly before taking a few steps forward, "and how might someone like you do something like that?"

He hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Faced with the chance to kill a man who was determined to ruin the world, Johnny found himself frozen. Part of him wanted to snap his fingers and set the man ablaze, but he couldn't feel The Source's presence. This wasn't him, not yet. This was the man he used to be. All of this seemed like it was happening for this first time even though part of his mind was telling him that it was deja vu. The Guardian settled on letting the question hang in the air until one of them felt compelled to do something.

"He'll have help," a raspy voice resonated from somewhere behind him.

A tattered and bruised raccoon limped to his side, equally determined to tear the dictator apart his stare alone.

"I see," Julian responded holding back a bout of laughter. "Is this little creature your friend?"

Johnny's demeanor remained unchanged as he looked for an opportunity to do anything that didn't involve immediately getting shot. He would take any friends he could get at a time like this, even a Mobian.

"Animals," Kintobor began, "you want to know what separates us from them?

Removing a pistol from one of the soldier's holsters, the fat man tossed the weapon at Johnny's feet.

"Go on, pick it up," Julian encouraged him. "Kill the Mobian and I'll pretend I never saw you. Then you can get back to whatever pathetic life you have left."

Kneeling down, The Guardian knew better than to even consider the proposal, but he picked up the gun anyway.

_He's just going to kill you anyway, Johnny. _

"I'm a man of my word, kill the rodent and you're as free as you have always been."

Johnny switched his gaze to the raccoon, considering what kind of person he would be if he took a life to save his own. The Mobian had been kind to him, going as far to save both he and his daughter in a time of need.

_And this is how you're going to repay him. _

"Just do it," the creature muttered, "he's going to kill me anyway. At least you have a chance."

_What would Rose do?_ Johnny asked himself.

First he turned the weapon on the Mobian, but the found himself lowering his aim to the ground.

"That's the difference right there," Kintobor pointed out. "A conscience. That little voice in the back of our heads that tells us what is right and what is wrong. It can get in the way from time to time. In order to properly secure our place in this world, we may all need to act a little more like animals. Until then, Mobians will continue to take what's ours."

_You want an animal?_

As quickly as he could, Johnny brought the pistol to face the fat man. However, before he could squeeze the trigger a pain erupted in his shoulder, tearing the weapon from his hand. More gunfire shattered an otherwise silent hell as the Dominion soldiers opened fire. Wound after wound opened up beneath the sting of bullets and in no time at all the black pavement came up to greet him.

Breathing was laborsome, just the though of doing so lit his chest on fire. He could feel a warmth pooling beneath him, even as the world grew colder. There was little doubt his time in this world was running low.

_I'll be right there, Rose. Daddy will be right there._

What remained of his consciousness was played out to the tune of a solitary gunshot. He could swear he felt the furry body of the raccoon crumble at his feet, but it made little difference who was dead and dying now. The universe had no more need for him, nor it him. All he had to look forward to now was the quiet bleakness that enveloped him with promise of an end to the pain and suffering. Stepping into the darkness, he welcomed its embrace.

"Hey!" someone shouted, "Mister, wake up!"

_Am I alive?_

Everything was still dark, but his senses extended well beyond his thoughts.

"What?" he gasped with the force of a whisper.

"Come on! Wake up!" the voice urged him.

Light flooded his eyes that were not seconds before filled with darkness.

"Mara?" he asked as he soft complexion came into focus. "What did you do?"

"I saved your ass is what I did."

_Always with the attitude this one. _

"Why?" he asked sitting up, "Why would you do that?"

"You wanted to die?" she asked confused.

Johnny paused before he said _yes_ out loud. _I wanted to see Rose again._

"Why else does someone fight a fight they know they can't win?"

"Because they're stupid."

Johnny wanted to cry, but instead found himself laughing until it hurt too much to continue.

"They're not very good shots," the girl went on. "Missed all the important stuff. All I had to do was stop the bleeding. You and your friend should consider yourself lucky."

"My friend?"

Turning his head, Johnny was surprised to find the Mobian sitting on an overturned car with a bandage around his forehead.

"How are you…"

He had never seen them shoot the Mobian, but Julian would have never let him live.

"Alive? I could be asking you the same question. I only got shot once. You look like Swiss cheese."

"Or maybe you two could be thanking me," Mara chimed in.

They each nodded in agreement. However, something still didn't feel right. What were the chances that two highly trained Dominion agents had managed to only maim their targets at such a close range?

But the more pressing question at the front of his mind was begging to be let out, "Who am I?"

A bright light appeared instantly in front of his face as the girl shined a small pen light into his pupils, examining them with the utmost curiosity, "That's weird, only your friend over there got hit in the head, but neither of you can seem to remember your names."

"Not just my name," the Mobian seemed keen on reminding her, "anything! I can't remember anything."

"With a knock to the head like that you can have some memory loss. It might come back," she nearly shouted back at him, "it might not. Don't blame me!"

_So much for bedside manners. _

"Well then what about me? Why can't I remember anything?"

Johnny felt empty all of the sudden almost as if someone had just painted over half his life with an indelible marker, blotting out anything that ever mattered to him.

Mara threw her arms up in the air, "I save your lives and all you two are concerned with is your stupid memories?! Did it ever occur to you that you are better off without them!?"

"Why?" they both asked in unison.

"Both my parents just died," she replied before breaking down into tears. "I wish I didn't remember that."

Suddenly the thought of having memories at all seemed selfish.

"What happened?" he asked innocently, only hoping to console the almost teenage child.

"What do you mean what happened?" Mara asked through teary eyes, "you… you were just there…"

The thought became too much for her and she crumpled into his lap, water streaming from her eyes. It was hopeless to explain to them the pain she was feeling.

With a shrug of his shoulders, the Mobian made it plane that he didn't know anything either. However, given the war torn scenery it wasn't nearly as hard as he would have liked to create a plausible scenario.

"Why did you save me? Why not someone else?" Johnny asked for a second time.

"Because," she whimpered, "you were the only one left to save."

Smoke rose in all directions, the smell of rot and decay already filling the breeze.

_Where am I?_

Johnny couldn't remember not remembering. It felt like everything was buried in the back of his mind a few minutes ago, but now it was as if it was never there.

"Little girl," he prodded at the child in his lap, "is there anything I can do to help?'

"I told you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "my name is Mara! Or did you forget that too."

Johnny stared back at her blankly, confirming what she more than likely already knew to be true. The girl responded by breaking down into tears again before hugging him only for the sake of doing so.

"What do you remember?" she sniffled.

"You, I remember you waking me up."

"Same for me," the Raccoon chimed in.

Mara shook her head, "Don't you guys have families? Friends? Anyone that can help you remember?"

Johnny looked around trying to decide if there was anyone out there who might be looking for him.

_Is there anyone left?_

"No," they both replied as if it didn't matter.

"Well aren't you two lucky," she mocked them. "Not a care in the world, never mind that it's burning to the ground all around you."

"Do you need help?" Johnny asked out of guilt.

"Me? You two don't even have names and you're asking if I need help?"

He thought about it for a moment. A name certainly seemed like a decent place to start.

"But how do I choose a name?"

It was something that was given to him by someone he couldn't remember. He didn't know enough about himself to pretend to know what he might even like.

"It seems like a simple process to me," Mara snapped back. "I had an uncle named Johnny once. Does that work for you?"

"Johnny," the Mobian repeated aloud, "I kind of like that."

"I think she was talking to me," The Guardian said defensively.

He never meant to sound offended, it just came out that way. Someone was once again taking the time to assign him a name, he wanted it to be his.

"You two are impossible…" she sighed before manically replying, "You can both be Johnny! Who cares, it's just a name!"

_I suppose I can share…_

"Johnny," the man greeted his Mobian friend with an outstretched hand, "it's nice to meet you."

"Johnny," someone else shouted, "Wake up!"

The world reverberated with each syllable, creating an earthquake within his memory. Inhaling deeply he prepared himself, knowing full well he was leaving his dream and stepping back into the depressing life that had stemmed from that moment.

_How many times can I open my eyes to a new world in one day?_

"Johnny," Amy repeated softly, "It's time to get up."

Fiona was standing over him as well, a stern look on her face with her arms crossed across her chest. The vixen had made it clear that she did not want to wait on him, especially for one his bad habits.

"Miss Rose," he smiled, "It's nice to see you again."

* * *

Wow I'm bad at updating things. Thank you everyone for the massages! I promise I will finish this, I do. It was very nice to hear from so many of you asking if everything was alright. I have the rest of the story story-boarded, so it's just a question of finding the time to actually write it. I know this may be a bit of a let down as far as chapters go, but this character is important to the story, so I wanted to develop more backstory for him. I welcome any and all feedback. If you guys are still there, let me know with a review.

Cheers,

M.D


	20. Confessions

_What is it with Hedgehog's and their snide comments,_ Fiona wondered.

Amy wasn't stupid. Being a Mobian, she knew everything she said would be heard by the vixen. Although if Fiona had to guess, that's exactly what the pink pincushion wanted. To make matters worse the methodical roll of the train wasn't nearly enough to drown out such an obnoxious voice.

"Everyone has a choice, Johnny," Amy said snidely, as if it were obvious the one that Fiona should have made.

_It's always easier to make the choice when you're not the one who has to live with the consequences. _

In this case it would have been death. There were plenty of times Fiona could have killed that fat slob, but she wasn't exactly sure what that would have changed. The world would still be in shambles, Mobians second class citizens and hated almost universally.

_Isn't everything supposed to happen for a reason? Why am I still alive?_

The simple fact that Julian had let her live for so long was still a mystery to most, including her. It was one of the few cases where his arrogance got the better of him.

"Of course, Miss Rose," Johnny began in his olive oil voice, "but would you decide to stop living right after you found out what it truly means to be alive? If your entire life had been a struggle and you somehow managed to keep winning, would you just stop and give up? People and Mobians alike tend to keep doing what they know best, and in this case that was fight."

Fiona wasn't even sure she could so eloquently summarize her existence. From the beginning she had been a fighter. The vixen had never backed down from a challenge. The collar that had once been around her neck was just box to check in the long list of obstacles the universe was determined to place in her path. She could only hope that the person she loved was at the end.

Fiona had gotten lost in her thoughts but it didn't take her long to find Amy's high pitched voice, "You're mistaking me for someone who actually cares about her, Johnny."

"You must keep an open mind, Miss Rose," the all too polite Guardian replied, "If I carried such an opinion of all my clients I would have never gained their trust."

"Ask a traitor why they stuck a knife in all our backs? No thanks."

_Why do they all see it that way?_ _Nothing would have stopped Julian from doing the same things I did..._

And the fact that he was still alive only proved her point.

_He doesn't die, so what difference would there be if I had killed him._

"Does that not make you like her then?" Johnny asked, "A Mobian that doesn't care about another Mobian?"

Fiona wanted to laugh but something told her that would not be appropriate. The pink hedgehog quickly got up and stomped off into her own corner to be mad. No doubt Sonic had always told her what she wanted to hear instead of what she needed to hear.

The look on Johnny's face suggested that he hadn't meant to offend her. Of course Guardians were never known for their comforting words. Reaching into his pocket, the man produced a peculiar looking container. Without much thought or concern for who was watching him, he popped the lid and contemplated his next move.

Lifting his gaze, Johnny finally noticed the vixen's watchful eyes, not that it seemed to do anything to deter him. Johnny's habit was not a mystery to anyone who had lived in the underworld as long as she had. It only made The Guardian more of an enigma and someone who should be feared. However, Fiona had made a habit out of not being scared of people that she should be.

Picking herself up, the vixen shuffled over the empty spot next to him. Johnny didn't seem to mind or even try to hide his small collection of hardened nightshade.

"Miss Fox," he acknowledged her presence.

_How many times must I remind you?_

"I told you, call me Fiona," she insisted, still interested in what he intended on doing with what was in his hands.

"Forgive my formalities, they are second nature."

_Just like something else._

"As are your habits?" Fiona asked, not removing her gaze from the nightshade.

"Some things never die… just like me I suppose."

Fiona didn't care much for these kinds of habits. They made all of them vulnerable. If they got cornered again, Johnny was the only hope of getting out alive. It was selfish to want to dose off now.

"Are you going to be drooling too much to move when the time comes?"

"I doubt it, Fiona," he answered sincerely before tossing one of the mint shaped candies in his mouth.

"What do you see?" she felt inclined to ask.

Dreams had never come as easy to her as they did others. Nightshade's allure was designed around fulfilling dreams. So the question begged to be asked of a man who had more power than most what he was so desperate to see.

"I used to see the future," the man laughed as if he knew how stupid it sounded.

Fiona suspected, however, that he was not joking. Guardians were not special by accident. There powers were rarely understood, even by them.

"And what about now?"

"I saw my daughter once," he proclaimed before his sentence began to wander, "I would very much like to see her again."

There were always new ways to be amazed. The vixen smiled at him, strangely happy that he had something so meaningful to look forward to. Fiona lived in fear of the nightmares that haunted her sleep.

"Is she who you were looking for?" the vixen inquired softly.

"No, I know where she is. I needed to know if I existed before I was a Guardian."

That was an odd question, one that no doubt warranted an answer, especially if you were Johnny.

"Well, did you?" Fiona asked sweetly.

"That depends whether you believe existing hinges on having your memories," he lamented. "I supposed it makes it easier for The Source to control us. What are we without our memories, Fiona? Just beings to be molded, not so different than a newborn."

It was strange to think about it that way. Was it nature or nurture that made a person? Fiona wanted to believe that no matter how few memories someone had they were still themselves, destined to do the same things they would have otherwise.

"Those were the old Johnny's memories and they died with him," Fiona answered. "You're your own person, capable of the same compassion, devotion, and resolve. You're you with or without your old memories. Don't go looking for something you don't need."

"That's kind of you to say, Miss Fox," Johnny managed to slur.

Fiona wanted to be upset with him, but at this point she suspected it wouldn't do much good.

"Sweet dreams, Johnny," Fiona replied with one of her sincere grins.

Johnny's eyes glazed over as he retreated into a different world. He was helpless in this state, and consequently so were they all if the Dominion caught up with them.

_One problem at a time,_ the vixen reminded herself before remembering her other travel companion.

Pushing off with her paws, Fiona returned to her feet and went in search of a hedgehog that was no doubt hiding now that her only ally was well past helping her.

Amy was curled up in the opposite corner, her face tucked into her knees. If she heard the fox approach she didn't bother to make it known.

"This seat taken?" Fiona asked as she lowered herself to the dust covered floorboards again.

"I don't think you would care if I told you it was," the hedgehog replied in a defeated tone.

"I thought that maybe you and I could…" the vixen began but was quickly cut off.

"Get to know each other?" Amy asked all but incredulously. "Maybe I don't want to know you. Did you ever consider that?"

"I find that hard to believe since you seemed so interested in asking Johnny all about me."

The pink Mobian looked away in shame.

"I'll go first then," Fiona calmed herself. "How did you end up in Capital City?"

Amy snorted, "Orphaned. Just like everyone else. Parents moved there to work. Julian made sure they paid the ultimate price for believing in free enterprise."

"So, why didn't you leave?"

There was a longer pause this time. The vixen had spent enough time there to be able to fill in the gaps. Mobians like Amy didn't know how to explain their affinity for the city. Most lost themselves when they tried, that is if they didn't sound crazy to begin with.

"Maybe because there is something about Capital City that sucks you in and never lets go," Fiona suggested as she closed her eyes to picture its neon lights. "That smell of piss in streets, the constant fear raising the hairs on the back of your neck, or how about the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment you get from just living through another day in a place that despises you. You get addicted to the thrill. But after all that, it's you home and that's all that matters. Everything else is just noise in the background because you wouldn't trade it for better or worse."

The hedgehog's bottom lip hung open in disbelief.

"You're not the only one that knows what that feels like. I bet Sonic offered to get you out of there?"

Amy nodded, "Practically every time I saw him."

"And you never said yes."

"Like you said, it's my home. There's something about it I refuse to give up even if kills me. The difference is I managed to stay there without having to betray my kind."

"You should be happy you never had to make that choice."

"I still don't see how that's a choice."

"Sonic," Fiona tested the hedgehog's reaction, "do you love him?"

"I don't see why that's important," Amy looked away bashfully.

"What would you do for him?"

"Anything!" she snapped back hastily.

"Then perhaps now you can imagine how it becomes a choice. You've never had to make the decisions I have, and don't presume to understand the gravity of them until you spend some time in my boots."

"Bu why didn't you…" this time Fiona cut her off.

"Put a bullet in his head the minute he put a gun in my hand?"

Amy nodded.

"I ask myself that question every day. The answer is always the same. I wanted the life I had spent every day fighting for and the moment I met Miles, I finally knew exactly what that was. If I killed him, he won even though he lost. I refuse to lose."

"And what about everyone else?"

"Perhaps if they fought harder than I did we wouldn't be having this conversation," Fiona suggested. "I have never hidden the fact that my actions were selfish. I only wish someone could prove to me they wouldn't have made the same choice I did."

A hint of remorse made it into Amy's voice, "I don't think anyone would want to go through what you did just to prove you wrong."

"I wouldn't wish it on anyone," the fox replied before leaning her head against a wooden plank to listen to the clicking and clacking of their freight car.

"I wanted to be like you when I was younger," the hedgehog confessed out of nowhere.

All Fiona could do in response was raise an eyebrow just to see is she was serious.

"The Red Shadow," Amy laughed. "A Mobian dolling out justice on the streets. Kicking ass and taking names. Rumor had it you wre Ixis Naugus' right hand man… or woman I guess. You didn't grow up on the streets and not learn to fear that name."

"You might be giving me too much credit."

"I always wondered if I would run into you, I just didn't think it would be like this."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Fiona said through a sigh.

"You didn't," Amy countered, struggling for the right words. "You were my hero up until I heard you were dead, but I realize you never chose that role in my life. I chose it for you. Maybe that's just how heroes work, they are who they are until they aren't."

Fiona wasn't sure if simpler words had ever been so true. The vixen had never known she was a role model for her kind. Even working for a crime lord, the red-furred fox had apparently been someone to look up to, to aspire to be. She wanted to cry the more she thought about.

_How many people did I let down? How many saw their hero turn her back on them and shake hands with the enemy? I'm a monster in their eyes and mine._


	21. Upgrades

"Whatcha' do'n little cuz?" his friend asked curiously.

Sonic was recovering well considering the kind of drugs that had been coursing through his blood not even an hour ago.

"Well this thing was communicating with Kintobor somehow."

"What do you mean?"

It was a fair question from someone who had just been in a nightmare induced coma. The hedgehog may not have even had a chance to see this thing up close until now.

"I mean Julian's thoughts were being transferred to this thing wirelessly… the way it turned to see if he was alright. Kintobor never said anything, so It must have been joined to his thoughts by some type of network."

On any other day he probably would have called himself crazy, but it was the only explanation for what he had just witnessed.

"This thing is just a hunk of metal now," the hedgehog replied as if the robot were not a spitting image of him. "I mean what could you possibly hope to do with it?"

"Honestly," Tails hesitated, "I have no idea. The parts in this thing don't resemble anything I've ever seen before. It's so primitive yet at the same time, advanced."

"Watch who you're calling primitive," Sonic quickly remarked, apparently remembering the machine was made from one of his clones.

Everything was a mess of wires each one a smaller gauge than the next wrapped endlessly through the body beneath the machines armor. There was no rhyme, reason, or least of all organization. It truly was a mechanical clone of an organic being. That, however, meant that what he was looking for should stand out.

Human's designs were inherently organized and efficient, a far cry from the randomness that comprised the internals of bodies designed by nature. Since Mobians had yet to evolve a way of communicating wirelessly, it stood to reason the that the mechanical version of Sonic would never have had it it's original form either.

"Julian had to have added a wireless card," the kit nearly laughed when he said it aloud.

"You mean like on a computer?"

Sonic's understanding of all things technical didn't extend too far, but by all accounts this was a legitimate comparison.

"That's exactly what I mean."

"What? Why?"

"Think about it. Can you join a wireless network right now?"

"No of course not… so neither could the robotic version of me," the quilled Mobian sighed, "I get it."

"Right, so if I can find that piece I might be able to use it to send a message."

It was a longshot to say the least, but it wasn't like he had much else to do to occupy his time. Right now Julian was no doubt coming up with a way to subdue or kill them. Tails was not about to spend his final moments in self reflection.

_No, I can save that for when I'm dead. _

The two-tailed fox had managed to teach himself enough about anatomy to understand there were only a few places you could put such a device. The base of the brain stem made sense, but only if the remote user intended on controlling every facet of the robot. Kintobor wanted nothing more than to deliver his orders and have them obeyed.

_He said this thing would always listen to him right?_

Prying at the titanium plated ear, it took a great more force than he anticipated to remove. The effort, however, was not wasted. Right before him was a circuit bored to intricately designed to be random. These wireless chips were baked into almost every Dominion device known to man.

"I found it," Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really?" Sonic asked in a tone of surprise before attempting to look over the vulpine's shoulder. "Now what?"

"Now we hope."

"Hope? What for?"

Julian wasn't dumb. These wireless chips were coded to self destruct when the unit they were connected to was stolen or destroyed, removing any hope that they could be hijacked and used to listen in on encrypted conversations.

"That this thing still works."

A robian, however, was a new challenge. Normal devices were built from the ground up with the idea of being identifiable by serial numbers, asset tags or some other human defined code. A robot that used to be a Mobian wouldn't have any of that. It was only a guess, but there was still a possibility that Kintobor, in his haste, removed those safeguards because he couldn't program them to work with a robotic hedgehog.

"You didn't break it, did you?"

"No," Tails replied calmly as he prodded gently at the chip. "These aren't supposed to work after the device they're connected to malfunctions."

"Then how is this going to help us?"

"Because Kintobor is arrogant and probably never thought he had to worry about us peeling one of these apart."

Grasping the small transceiver between his fingers, Tails raised the small circuit board into what little light there was.

"Now all we need is a working computer, right?" Sonic asked hopefully.

The room was bare save for Julian's experiments. Aside from the occasional wall mounted status terminal there wasn't much in this room that would be of any use to them. Then again, Tails had never intended on plugging the chip into any of Kinotbor's stuff anyway. He had his own perfectly functioning piece of Dominion equipment right on the side of his head.

"Not really," Tails replied nonchalantly before removing the HUD from his ear. "I've got everything I need."

His HUD was well outside of any frequencies that he could hop onto. However, with a different wireless card, there might be an option he couldn't see. Powering down the tiny device was easy. Taking apart the fragile computer was a different matter. Without a full set of tools, Tails was left with the point of his knife to pry open slender aluminum frame.

After that, replacing the wireless card was easy. Sliding it into place, the kit could only hope that his HUD unit would be able to access the same networks as the Robotic hedgehog.

"Well," Sonic asked desperately, "did it work?"

"It's still turning on," he sighed in response.

It was hard not to grin when he saw the network status in the corner of his screen. The kit was connected on a secure encrypted line to the outside world. However, if he had to guess he only had one shot at sending a message before Kinotbor noticed unwanted traffic on his private network.

"Who do we want to send a message to?"

"You go it?"

"I got it."

"Way to go little cuz."

"We're only going to get one shot at this. Kintobor won't let us stay on his network for long."

"We need to tell someone where we are."

"Alright," Tails asked, "do you know where we are?"

"Not a clue. But you have to remember how you got here."

"I cam in through the Central Bank."

"How did you manage that?" Sonic snorted. "That's almost as dumb as going through Dominion HQ."

"The key!" Tails realized. "We need to send someone the key."

"What key?"

"If anyone wants to get into these tunnels, they will need this key," the two-tailed fox proclaimed as he produced a card from his vest. "It will give them access to everything."

"How are you going to send a key?"

"It's electronic, a cypher that changes predictably over time. I can only send a snap shot or two, not the actual algorithm but Nicole could probably replicate it with enough data points."

"Cuz, there's got to be someone else. I don't want to drag Sally into this."

"We don't have a choice. No one else could crunch those numbers in a reasonable time. Hell, no one else might even be listening for a message from us. Besides, you might not have much to worry about... Sally may not even want to come down here for either of us."

"Yeah," the hedgehog lamented, "don't remind me."

* * *

Hi everyone! It's been more than a while this time. I'm in the process of switching jobs. In the next two months, things will settle down for me and I should be right back to more acceptable update intervals. I should finish this story by the end of the year. Sorry for the short chapter, but I just want to keep things movings.

Cheers,

M.D


	22. Off the Leash

Doing things the Resistance way was hard. Having Julian and the resources of the Dominion at her back made things a breeze. There was no sitting on a train car for days at a time, no wanting for something better, and least of all no fear that she would be discovered, after all she had been the one doing the discovering.

_How did Miles do this? How did any of them do this?_

The kit had lived his entire life this way. Fiona's previous employers had made sure she was taken care of to the point she rarely had desire for anything more than she already had. The red-furred vulpine had lost count of the times she had been able to flash her badge and walk right into the first class cabin of any flight she wanted.

Of course, like anything too good to be true, it came with a price. Working for Julian Kintobor had taken a toll on her in ways she could no longer describe. The man had taken away everything that it meant to be her, leaving delivering his every want as her only option for her continued survival.

Not even her current allies knew what this was like. They had others watching out for them. Johnny's care taker was an enigma in the truest sense of the word. Only ever referred to as The Source, there was not a person alive, Guardians included, that knew what or whom it was. As for the pink quilled Mobian, Sonic seemed to be doing a decent job of keeping her safe seeing as she was still alive.

Amy lay asleep on the floor, curled into a ball beneath Johnny's coat. There wasn't much else to do on a journey like this. Fiona wasn't proud to admit she had nodded off more times than she would have liked, joining the other two in a not so distant dream world.

Peaking out of a small gap between the wooden boards of their box car, Fiona was able to spy a skyline she knew all too well. Tiny specs of light illuminated windows well into the upper floors of every skyscraper she could lay her eyes on. Silhouettes of light against the darkness, a fate not so different than her own.

They needed to get off soon, or risk showing up in Station Square where their presence would not go unnoticed. Hoisting herself into the air, the vixen stretched upwards reaching for the stars above her. No one but Jake had ever seen her tired, and she had no plans of displaying her weakness to anyone else, least of the Guardian. Thus far Fiona suspected the injured man was only following her because he was afraid.

_I have a reputation to maintain, _she decided before donning a less than sympathetic grin.

The red furred fox gently prodded the pink quilled Mobian with the tip of her steel toed boot. It took a couple of tries, but Amy finally rose from her sleep in a terribly groggy state.

"What is it?" The hedgehog asked through a yawn.

"We're nearly there."

"Great…"

"We need to get Johnny up."

Picking up the man's jacket Amy began to rub the sleep out of her eyes before wandering over to the Guardian.

There were no guidelines for waking someone in his state up. If he was till too deep in his dream he may not act rationally, that was even if they could rouse him in the first place. Nightshade could cause its user to lash out in fear, anger or some other visceral emotion. The subconscious could be a scary place, and that is precisely where this drug often took people.

"You need to be gentle," Amy assured her. "Johnny's a gentle soul but what's left of his memory is not an inviting place. I don't think we want to startle a confused Guardian."

Fiona was inclined to agree and readily nodded her head in reply.

"Johnny," the hedgehog called out softly, "it's time to wake up."

The man didn't so much as flinch in response.

"Johnny," she said again, this time slightly louder, "it's time to go."

Still, the guardian remained determined to sleep. Fiona had been worried about this. Getting back into down town Capital City would be hard enough. Without Johnny it was going to be near impossible.

"Johnny," Amy yelled in a maternal like tone, "wake up!"

Almost at once his eyes shot open, as alert as ever. Starring back up at them he waited patiently for one of the Mobians standing before him to say something.

"Johnny, it's time to get up," she reminded him with a smile, as out of place as it looked against her tangled hair.

Fiona offered an outstretch paw to help return him to his feet.

"Of course," he sighed before accepting the fox's assistance.

"Just like that?" the vixen felt compelled to ask.

"Just like what?"

"You're awake like you weren't just sleeping for close to forty hours."

"The Source," Johnny began before hesitating, "Is an interesting thing. The only way to escape its grasp is to slip into my own mind. Otherwise, its power courses through me like a never ending flow of adrenalin while mind begs for the release of a long nap."

"So the nightshade is your loophole then?" Fiona chuckled.

Johnny nodded reluctantly, "It's the only thing that's ever let me feel normal again."

"And how were the dreams?"

Nothing but the clatter of the steel wheels rolling along the track filled their car. There was an eerie silence that unmistakably determined to fill every crease and crevice.

"Bleak, Miss Fox," he finally responded. "I'm starting to remember things I wish I didn't."

"I thought that's what you were trying to do, Johnny," Amy interjected. "I thought you wanted to remember."

"I did, but I should have known someone like me could have never had a pleasant past in a world like this."

"We're going to need to get off this thing soon," Fiona interrupted.

"Why?" Jonny asked with the implication the fox was being ridiculous.

"We can't just walk into station square like thi…" Fiona went to motion to the tattered clothes on the hedgehog next to her.

However, in the blink of an eye the pink Mobian disappeared. In her place stood a copper dressed in a dark navy uniform.

"Like what?" Johnny pressed with a chuckle.

"I didn't think you could do this for very long," the vixen inquired.

"Not when I was that far away from The Source. The closer I get, the more invincible I feel. Perhaps you would you prefer something else?"

Holding out her own hand she was surprised to find a wooden baton that looked so real she was certain she could hit something with it. Lashing out at a nearby box proved otherwise as the object passed right through.

"I'm afraid I'm not that good, Fiona. I cannot conjure matter, only the illusion of it."

Twirling the baton by its leather string, the fox marveled at the power at work. This wasn't just an ordinary disguise; it was an illusion being adapted in real time, bending to her own imagination as much as his.

"How?" Fiona nearly stuttered.

Johnny's smile widened as the train began to slow, "Trade secret I'm afraid. Now where exactly did you want to get off the train?"

"Station square seems fine with me."

"Me too!" Amy was quick to chime in.

The breaks screeched for close to twenty minutes as the train rolled into the station. Although their car would never reach a platform seeing as it was not transporting anything more than mail.

With a deep intrigue, Fiona walked up to the door and flung it open, anxious to take a breath of home. The early morning air was thick with dew and ripe a stench she knew all too well, but the vixen didn't care. Hoping down into the gravel below, she nearly clicked her heels together mid flight.

_You're a copper, _she reminded herself, _you need to act like one._

Unfortunately for her, that was not particularly difficult. Fiona looked back when she heard her companion's boots hit the ground behind her. All three of them were dressed head to toe in Capitol City police uniforms. Even more eerie was the sullen look on Amy's face which now resembled that of man forty years her senior. Somehow, Fiona doubted she looked much different. Coppers were not known for being happy, female, or young, leaving only the tired and old to walk the beat.

As they continued their patrol of the rail yard, the platform loomed in a bleak yellowish light. No one paid the cops any mind as they ascended the crumbling concrete stairs. Seeing such a strong police presence in the city was nothing new. There were evil forces at work, after all.

"Officers," someone shouted desperately.

None of them turned, not because they didn't care, but because none of them had been addressed that way before.

"Officers," a middle age woman shouted again as she stepped in front of the trio.

Uneasy glances were exchanged as soon as they realized the civilian was speaking to them. While their appearances were convincing, there wasn't much of a chance their voices would be.

"Yes, ma'am," Johnny responded, knowing the other two couldn't open their mouths without drawing some considerable suspicion.

Looking over her shoulder towards a growing crowd of commotion, the woman began to speak again, but this time more softly. "There's people over there robbing the train."

Fiona had to catch the chuckle that nearly left her mouth. _What is this? The old west?_

"They all have tattoos and guns, no one is quite sure what to do," the lady went on.

_Tattoos? Guns?_ This was all starting to sound familiar. It's almost as if she were working for Ixis all over again.

"I see, ma'am," Johnny began in his reply. "I'm not sure there's much we will be able to do until back up arrives."

"They'll be gone by then," she insisted.

"Yes, but these types of individuals you're describing will get violent if we intervene. A loss of life is not worth whatever it is they may be taking."

"Yes, but," the woman pressed before breaking down into tears.

The vixen wasn't about to let the crime lord ruin any innocent lives, or not if she could do anything about it anyway. This all must be part of his plan to stir up mayhem so that the people vote him into office once he makes it go away.

Fiona nodded towards the other end of the platform sternly, insisting that they check it out. Leading the charge, she continued to twirl her billy club. It was not particularly hard to spot the perpetrators in question. They were busy rooting through luggage looking for anything of value and dipping in and out of train cars holding people up at gun point.

Most of the thugs walked past her if she weren't there at all, which seemed odd given her current attire. Double checking the cuffs of her sleeves, Fiona was surprised to find that she was still wearing a copper's outfit.

Whistling wasn't something she often did, but at least it wouldn't give her away. The lackadaisical tune did little more than help her melt further into the background. Stepping onto passenger train, Fiona veered down one of the busier aisles.

"Oy!" someone finally shouted, "what are you pigs do'n here?"

The fox in human clothing narrowed her gaze on what she now presumed to be the leader of this marry bunch of bandits.

"I said, what are you do'n here?" he repeated before forcing his way down the aisle. "I thought we had an understanding?"

His compatriots were still busy relieving other riders of their wallets and purses. Johnny and Amy were nervously following behind her, cautious to keep their distance from all the thugs. At least they fit the part of scared cops.

_An understanding? _The vixen raised an eyebrow.

"Or are you lot just dropping by to make sure we don't rough anyone up too much?"

"Hey boss!" another man shouted as he held up a woman's hand to display her weeding ring, "can we take these?"

"Just so long as you don't hurt her, you know the rules."

"I imagine I could do a whole lot more without 'hurting' her," the thug replied suggestively in her ear.

Fiona stepped forward, approaching the man far too fast for the boss' liking.

"Maybe you forgot how this works pig. You'll get your cut and the girl will be fine, don't you worry."

"Right as rain," the other man replied as he brushed his hand against her cheek.

Unlike her allies, Fiona was armed. Their guns were just illusions while hers was very real. This situation was, however, far more delicate than it appeared on the surface. Shooting was only liable to get people killed.

"Now run along little piggy. We don't want to have to hurt ya."

"I would like to see you try," she finally answered him back.

The feminine and nearly seductive voice caught the man off guard. He cocked his head to the side before backing up unsure as to why such an old burly looking man would sound so out of character.

Raising her hand, Fiona was rather curious what would happen if she snapped her own fingers.

_I Hope you're paying attention back there Johnny._

"Whatcha doin' there?" he asked nervously, motioning to her fingers.

"This?" she replied glancing over at her fingers, "Oh, don't you worry about that."

With a snap, her old velvet red self flashed into existence so quickly the men before her had to blink a half dozen times to take it in. Whispers of the red shadow flooded the train car.

"What the hell?"

"Did you miss me, boys?"

All of them had by this point turned a few shades whiter, with the exception of the woman who had been taken hostage. The poor girl was now even more confused that a Mobian had entered into the mix.

"So what's the deal here?" she asked wandering around aimlessly, doing her best to get a count of possible threats. "Ixis bought off the cops so you could scare a bunch of people. You get to keep what you 'find' in exchange?"

"Well, that was the deal," the boss piped up, "but obviously you ain't heard the news. Ixis is dead."

The vixen wished that was surprising for her, unfortunately given what she had seen a couple days earlier, it was not.

"So now you all think you're something special," Fiona laughed, "and just take advantage of the situation."

The thug shrugged his shoulders, "money is money. There's no one in charge. The city is ripe for the taking."

"Except none of you have the brains required to keep it. You don't have the connections. You didn't build the empire that Ixis did, what makes you think you could run it?"

No one responded. Clearly none of them had thought that far ahead.

Cautiously approaching the man who had taken the woman hostage, Fiona began softly, "Let the girl go, this one doesn't belong to you."

No one needed to get hurt, least of all someone as innocent and young as this poor woman. Her eyes locked with his, promising him the full furry of her anger if he disobeyed. The legend she had inadvertently created for herself now proceeded her. People, even scum like this, respected it.

Bobby hesitated a moment before he let her slip through his fingers and run in tears from the train. However, the hammer of someone's pistol was quickly locked into place, not happy with the way things were shaping up.

"Who do you think you are?" the boss nearly laughed, "just showing up and barking orders at me boys. I'll be the one who makes the decisions around here, and if Bobby wants himself a girl, he can damn well have one."

Fiona didn't bother to face him, he wouldn't shoot, not at her, not at the Red Shadow. Instead she approached the kid, grinning at him deviously.

"Why would you want a girl when you can have me?" she asked, stroking the side of his cheek just like he had done to the woman.

The look on his face was a near toxic mixture of confusion and fear. He didn't know what to think or say.

"What do you say, Bobby? Think you can handle a real lady?"

"You're no lady," he squeaked.

She let her tail snake around his leg, as she pulled him in close, her lips nearing his cheek.

"You're right about that," she whispered before raising her fingers again.

With a chuckle she snapped her fingers. Fiona had to give him credit, Johnny was following along quite well. Light once again bent around her body, making her invisible to everyone but Guardians.

"Boss," Bobby complained nervously, "where did she go?"

_They don't call me the Red Shadow for nothing._

"I - I," he hesitated, "I don't know. Just relax she's trying to scare us."

Moving silently, she took up a new position behind the boss.

"Is it not working?" she asked curiously.

By the time he turned around to face her, she was gone again opting instead to sit in a chair to his left.

"Here's the deal," she said plainly. "You leave now, no one gets hurt."

She knew his next move before he even made it, which is why she got up right away. An illusion remained in her place while she moved across the aisle undetected. Thanks to her Guardian friend her legend as being impossibly illusive would multiply ten fold from today alone.

"And if I don't?" the man asked swing his gun to face her.

Without hesitation he pulled the trigger, assuming that he could remove another obstacle from his path.

Her illusion disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"Wrong one," the vixen said from a chair on the opposite side.

It was more than likely becoming clear that the thugs were not as in control of this situation as they believed them selves to be.

"I'll try to pretend you didn't just try to kill me," Fiona sighed. "So what do you say?"

Lowering his gun, the thug finally began to examine his options. Looking down the aisle towards two more city coppers, he watched as they crossed their arms. The gears in the boss' head finally began to turn as he contemplated what might be hiding beneath their outer shells. Standing, Fiona stood next to the man, tracing his gaze and meeting Johnny's.

"Right about now you're wondering if I'm the Red Shadow then who the hell are they? And I have to admit, that's a pretty good question to be asking yourself because you really just don't know." Lightly smacking his chubby cheeks, the vixen broke his stare so that the man would fixate on her fingers which were once again ready to snap, "so are we going to do this the easy way, or the fun way?"

Some people just didn't know when to call it quits.

"We out number at least 10 to 1 and you're going to sit here and make threats."

Fiona exhaled deeply, "Is it stubbornness or stupidity?"

"I'm done playing games with you, Fiona!" the boss screamed. "I remember you. Just another one of Naugus' little toys. Why don't I show you what men can do!" he exclaimed before raising his gun.

"How are you going to do that when no one can see?"

"What?" the man asked incredulously.

With a snap of her fingers the entire train car was plunged into a darkness so deep not even her heightened vision was of any use. Thankfully she didn't need that to bend the thug's limbs well past the point of breaking. His screams were enough to send the remainder into a panic as they searched desperately for a way out.

"How are things looking, Johnny?" the red furred fox called out to her friend.

"I don't think that we will have to worry about anyone else," The Guardian answered as the light returned to the world. "It would seem that they have decided to re-think their strength in numbers strategy."

Looking down to the floor where a bloodied and battered thug lay bleeding, Fiona was quick to smile at her own handy work, "How you feel'n there big fella?"

His muffled reply was laced with enough profanity to earn him another kick to the gut.

"I'm sorry I couldn't really hear you there. Care to try again?"

This time the man did little more than let out a defeated groan.

"Are we done here Miss Fox? Or would you like to claim any more of my powers for your own?"

Fiona had only meant to intimidate them, but perhaps she got a little out of hand.

"Sorry about that. Just wanted to scare them a bit."

"You're lucky I was paying attention," he scolded her, "you could have easily gotten yourself killed being so arrogant. Imagine if you had snapped your fingers and I wasn't there to make something happen?"

Her arrogance was just another side effect of knowing a certain two-tailed fox.

Smiling at the man she apologized as sincerely as she could, "thanks for having my back, Johnny."

Shifting uneasily in his copper's uniform, "I suppose it's the least I can do after what you did for Miss Rose and I."

"Can we just go back to the Den already," Amy announced, frustrated with their seemingly backwards progress.

With that, Johnny restored the vixen's outfit to the dull navy so commonly worn by Capital City coppers and they once again melted into the fabric of the city. Walking amongst its citizens was as easy as breathing. Every city block they traversed lead her further into the clutches of her home and towards her prize.

Fiona never thought she would be so happy to descend this set of stairs. Each step into the damp abyss was more welcoming than the next.

_I'm coming Miles._

When her boots landed on the rickety wooden planks, she wasn't shy about announcing her presence, "Look what I found."

A pair of green eyes materialized, bobbing back and forth as a raccoon approached from the endless shadows.

"Miss Fox," the shadowy creature began, "I must admit I did not expect to see you again so soon… least of all with our mutual friend."

The tall and lanky human stepped to her side, his smugness now well in check. Returning here was defeat from him in some respects. He now had to abide by his own rules now. No longer was he able to run free lest his compatriots find out that he had been taken off his proverbial leash.

* * *

Almost forgot to post something this week.

Cheers,

M.D


	23. Heels of Darkness

Her ears twitched as a thick set of rubber sole boots descended into The Den. They didn't have the high pitched clack that Ixis' finely crafted leather shoes might. His entrances were meant to be proceeded with style and flair before his air of intimidation set in.

_Just some other dreg of this retched place,_ she mused before shifting her weight uneasily. This wasn't the type of place she wanted to spend her time. Just traveling here took her out of her element and the flow of information she desperately needed to run what was left of her kingdom.

It wasn't like the man to be late. Ixis hated tardiness or anything else that might show disrespect. The fact that she hadn't heard from Naugus begun to wear on her as the seconds ticked by.

_Is this one of his jokes? Or has someone gotten to him to? _

The idea of this being a setup had crossed her mind, but no one, not even Ixis would dare disrespect the rules here. There were consequences that transcended rationality. Guardians were capable of things mere mortals were not. Even men who knew how to instill fear in untold ways rarely treaded on a Guardian's territory without some trepidation.

"Look what I found!" an all too unfortunate voice called out.

"Fiona," the princess quipped quietly under her breath.

Sally would have to hold her tongue for now. No one could know she was here, least of all that fox. At every turn the vixen had proven herself to be untrustworthy, getting herself into more trouble as the years pressed on.

However, despite her distaste for the vulpine, the princess was still curious about what Fiona might have been wasting her time with. Especially when she and Tails were supposed to be tracking down Colin.

"Miss Fox, I must admit I did not expect to see you again so soon," Johnny answered from across the room. "Least of all with our mutual friend."

_Mutual friend? Are you doing work for the Guardians now? And why am I not surprised? You'll work for everyone but me, _Sally thought as she crossed her arms in distaste.

Slowly, the tallest of the guardians came into view, his tall lanky form barely fitting beneath the low ceiling of their basement abode. Even in the dark, it wasn't hard to see who it was. There were only so men that fit his distinct shape, complete with his traditional raged suit.

"Pfft," Sally nearly chuckled aloud, "you managed to find a guy that works here. Good work, Fiona."

It was growing harder by the day to understand what Tails saw in her. He had vouched for her a hundred times over, claiming that she was one of the best operative he had ever seen in the field. Now, it just appeared as if she were babysitting individuals that didn't need it.

The princess' gaze narrowed, however, when a pink hedgehog took up a place next to the human. Her quills radiated with a dull rose hue in the almost nonexistent light.

"Where ever did you manage to find these two Miss Fox?" the raccoon asked softly.

"Right where you said they would be, and in need of quite a bit of help."

"I see. Well thank you for retrieving them. We certainly wouldn't have been able to."

_What? Where were they? And who is this other hedgehog?_

Sally's trip to The Den was quickly devolving into more questions than answers. Ixis was beyond late, and she was putting herself in more and more danger every moment she stayed. Yet, the squirrel felt the need to listen to what everyone else had to say. Not even with the help of Nicole would she have access to this type of information.

"I believe you have something for me," Fiona said reluctantly, sounding as if she didn't want to push her luck.

Sally couldn't exactly blame her. Making deals with Guardians was not unlike making them with the devil. While trustworthy, their motives were always a mystery.

The raccoon chuckled, "Yes, of course. As agreed upon. However, I think this would best be discussed somewhere more private.

_Wait, no!_

Out on the open floor it was easy to hear conversations not kept to the traditional whisper. In the secluded offices of the Guardians, there was little chance of ease dropping on much of anything. Not to mention it took a special person to earn an invitation into their private quarters. Fiona hardly seemed worthy of that, especially considering Sally hadn't managed to earn one yet herself. Inching out of her booth, she crept along in the shadows of their footsteps, hoping to catch more of their conversation.

Somehow it managed to get darker. The further down the hallway she walked, no amount of her night vision seemed to be able to correct an utter lack of light. Someone's fingers snapped, startling her to the point where she nearly gasped.

Johnny inhaled as an orange ring formed on the tip of a cigarette. It's orange molten glow tempered only when he released his drag. For just a moment she could make out his face before it slid back into obscurity.

"Where is Tails?" the vixen asked bluntly when it seemed like they were all alone.

"Don't look at me," the man laughed, "I've been with you this whole time. Your deal's with them, not me."

After a momentary pause his partner picked up the conversation, "I will admit Miss Fox I can't say with any level of certainty where he is at this moment."

_Why is she looking for Tails? Where did he go? What's going on? Did someone get to him too?_

"I thought we had an understanding?" the vulpine asked, raising her voice. "I bring you Johnny, you find Tails."

_Is she threatening them? Does she know who they are?_

"Yes, yes, that's precisely what we agreed to. You must understand, however, certain things slip from our control," Johnny answered reluctantly.

"Oh, and what might those things be?"

"We can tell you where he was last seen. No one, not even the Dominion has found a trace of him since."

"Fine," Fiona relented, "I guess I'll just have to find him too. Where was he?"

Another pause followed her question. The Guardians, in an unusual display of awkwardness seemed reluctant to answer readily.

"In the vault of Capital City bank," the raccoon finally replied.

_What? _Sally longed to scream out.

"What!?" a red furred fox stammered, "why would he go there?"

"We wondered the same thing. It is worth noting that he had managed to take Colin hostage, but no one as seen him either."

_Hostage? I told you to kill him! Why doesn't anyone listen to me?_

So far it felt as if everyone she knew had gone rogue. Fiona hadn't bothered to tell her Tails had gone missing. Ixis was dead or captured.

_And Sonic,_ she nearly choked on the thought of what may have become of him.

"One problem at a time I suppose," the vixen mused. "I am supposed to be meeting someone else here."

_Oh really? This should be good. _

"Of course Miss Fox. In light of your recent services, you're more than welcome to use The Den as frequently as you desire."

"Ixis sent me in his place. I am to meet with the princess."

_You two-timing little…_

"You're most fortunate then," the raccoon laughed, "she is standing right outside the room."

Sally attempted to tiptoe away as if that would somehow undo everything she heard.

"Won't you join us, Sally?" Knuckles beckoned her.

She had been caught red handed with paw in the mother of all cookie jars. Listening in on a Guardian's conversation was grounds for all types of punishment. She could only hope that they were somehow okay with it. Returning to her feet, she felt for a door frame and entered the room as proudly as her facial expressions would allow.

"Well now that all parties are present, we can leave you two. We wouldn't want anyone to listen in on your meeting."

The tone in his voice was as condescending as it could have been. It didn't matter, Sally was desperate and she was willing to do what it took to find Sonic.

"I – I," the squirrel stammered, "I needed to know if any of you knew anything about Sonic."

"Relax Princess," the Echidna said before placing one of his massive paws on her shoulder. "We knew you were there. Just don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

When she was done wiping the tears from her eyes, she was alone with a one-tailed fox, her crimson fur wavering in a nonexistent breeze.

"What are you doing here?" Sally finally asked, still confused.

"Ixis sent me."

_Liar!_

"Why?"

"He's dead, Sally."

_No! She has to be lying._

"Are you sure!" the princess began to stammer. "Or are you working for him again?"

Her emotions were beginning to show. It was nothing to be proud of in her line of work, but what else did the princess have to turn to at a time like this?

Exhaling deeply, the vulpine replied softly, "No. I watched it happen. I don't even know why he asked me to speak with you."

"Did he say anything about Sonic?" she asked even more desperately, shaking the fox by the collar of her jacket.

Surprisingly, Fiona seemed unfazed, calm even. "No, he didn't. Why did Ixis send me, Sal-" but the squirrel cut her off.

Sally didn't have time to listen to her excuses, her lies. Someone knew where Sonic was. Everything was going wrong and all signs pointed to the only other person left standing. _Fiona!_

"What did you do with him!? Where is…"

Before Sally could finish her sentence, she found herself in an embrace. The warmth and comfort of another person's compassion had been lost on her for some time. Sally nearly melted beneath the vixen's touch, despite her disdain.

"I know what it feels like," Fiona whispered in her ear. "The pain that comes with not knowing, and the thoughts that circle you, waiting for a chance to sink their teeth in and cripple you with anxiety. The minutes are agonizing, the hours endless, and days an eternity."

With what little strength remained, the princess squeezed back. Even if it was Fiona, it was nice to have someone who understood what she was going through. Sonic had been missing too long.

When the fox finally let go, it was only so that their gazes could meet.

"I need your help, Sally, and I think you need mine."

There was nothing the princess wanted to admit less, but it didn't change the facts.

"Naugus thought someone was out to get us," the squirrel finally relented.

"You mean Colin?"

"No. He's not a big enough player. Colin isn't smart enough to catch Sonic."

"So then who?"

"That's what we were going to discuss. This might be someone we've never seen before. Someone who wanted to capitalize on the anarchy."

"Or," Fiona hesitated, "someone we've known for too long."

Sally raised an eyebrow, knowing full well the vixen wouldn't see it.

Fiona continued after the abundance of silence that followed, "I don't know whether to believe them or not."

"Believe who?"

"Johnny and Amy… they both claimed to have seen Julian since he died."

"You mean since you killed him?"

"I know what I did!" Fiona retorted through gritted teeth. "There's no way he lived."

"Then why even bring it up?"

"You said it yourself, Colin isn't smart enough to catch Sonic… but Julian is."

It was true. Sally had always forbade Sonic from dealing with anything that looked like one of Kintobor's setups, of which there were no shortages. The Resistance did their best to deal its damage to the dictator's remote facilities. It was just too dangerous to go up against him directly.

"I need your help, Sally," Fiona continued. "We need to find Miles before he does."

It hurt to say, but the princess opened her mouth anyway, "You're right. If there is anyone who has figured this out by it's our two-tailed friend."

"I'm not even sure how we're going to break into a vault he's in without him," Fiona pondered aloud.

"He's not in the vault," Sally sighed. "Tails would never lock himself in there."

"But Johnny said…"

"Ixis once upon a time let it slip that there are tunnels that connect a few different things in this city. They're well below the surface and well out of the way of prying eyes. It's how Julian got around without anyone knowing."

"So you think that's where Miles is?"

"If he's smart. I just don't know how he would have got in."

"It's Miles," Fiona replied with a smile. "I learned a long time ago never to doubt him."

* * *

I think it's been a while. Sorry about that. Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

M.D


	24. Broken Promises

"What did you get yourself into this time," Sally nearly sighed aloud.

At every turn the two-tailed fox managed to dig himself deeper and deeper into the mud. Without anyone to pull him out he was as good as dead, destined to drown in his own mistakes.

"Perhaps my services could be of some assistance?" a voice asked from the ether.

It was Johnny, the tall lanky human who was as much an enigma as the guardians themselves. The Princess was not fond of people she knew little about, even less so of an invitation with requirements. Just like Ixis, an agreement with Johnny would come with conditions that were at the very least mandatory.

"I think we can handle ourselves just fine, Johnny," the squirrel replied before looking over her shoulder into the darkness.

"Princess, if I may ask," the man began before taking a long drag on a cigarette, "since when are you an expert in breaking into banks on short notice?"

Sally was perfectly aware of the difficulty of the task at hand. She didn't need some demigod reminding her as much. She had always assigned this type of work to Tails. As quick as Sonic was, banks had security that no amount of speed and bull-headedness could defeat. The kit's level head and technical prowess made him one of the best.

"I've spent the last fifteen years of my life doing the impossible," the squirrel retorted, "I don't intend on stopping anytime soon."

"Perhaps I misrepresented myself, Princess. I want to help."

This was new. A Guardian fully indenting to metal in the affairs of the free world. Something was wrong or the squirrel had failed to see something obvious.

_Johnny doesn't have a choice in this,_ she thought to herself.

"He's pretty good in a tight spot," Fiona added. "Not sure I would have made it back here without him."

It was difficult not to treat her like a child, but Sally was having trouble finding patience for the crimson fox. Things that were obvious in the world of a Resistance fighter were lost on her.

_Perhaps Ixis kept her in the dark,_ Sally realized, _the less she knew the better chance she stood of not turning against him._

"Fiona," the Princess sighed, "Even if he wanted to, Johnny can't help us. He can't interfere with what we do. Guardians are not allowed to influence nature's natural outcome."

The fox snorted with laughter before replying, "I know that. I grew up here, I heard all the stories, same as you. Johnny," the vixen paused, "Something happened to him."

"What do you mean, 'happened'?"

"What she is trying to tell you, Princess," Johnny interjected before inhaling another gulp of nicotine, "is that I'm free."

That didn't make any sense. There was no such thing as a free Guardian. It would defeat the entire concept. Someone who possesses as much power as a Guardian left to their own free will could rule the world with a snap of their fingers.

_There has to be more to it than that._

"What about the pain?" Sally inquired, "I thought you told me it would drive you mad to go against the Source's wishes?"

"It used to," he allowed, "but now it's almost like I'm forgotten, that the Source has turned a blind eye to me. Yet, it still graces me with its power."

If there was one part in this that didn't make any sense, it was the man's gesture of good will.

_Why doesn't he just walk away? Why help us and not himself?_

"And with your freedom you want to help us? A dying cause," Sally asked in a confused tone. "Johnny, if what you're saying is true, you could rule the world."

"I don't want to rule the world, Princess. I want my life back, the one that I see in my dreams. It wasn't pretty, but it was mine, and that bastard took it from me. Just like he took everything from you. Our enemy is the same."

If Jonny was trying to convince her, he was doing a good job. There was purpose in his voice, the kind only determined individuals could muster. Of course that still wasn't enough to convince her.

"What does the other Johnny and Knuckles think about your freedom?"

"I'm not entirely sure they're aware, Princess," he sighed.

"Why not? Don't want to upset the natural order of things? Don't trust them to let you leave again? Why should I trust you?"

A shower of sparks sprung from the man's hand as he flicked his cigarette to the floor. The tiny orange glow disappeared in a crunch as it was ground into the old wooden boards.

"If you didn't want my help, Princess, you needed only say as much."

Before she could respond the shadow for a man was gone, any hint of his shape faded into the obscurity that was the endless black of The Den of Shadows. She had been harsh, but for good reason. Being weary of strange offers was why she and what was left of the Resistance was still alive.

"Sally," the vixen lamented, "with his help we could have walked in there without lifting a finger."

"The difference between me and you," the squirrel began, "is that I don't automatically trust everyone that offers me help."

With that Sally set off towards door, feeling around for any stray objects. Even after several minutes her eyes could not seem to adjust to the darkness. Only after she was able to main den did the light return, its faint glow emanating from no place in particular.

Motioning to the fox behind her, Sally let the sly vixen overtake her. Despite her royalty, Sally was content with keeping her newest comrade in front of her. The vixen's silhouette danced in a growing light as she ascended the stairs back to reality. Shaking off the darkness Sally tried to clear her head but an all too familiar stench filled her nose as the haze of street lamps forced her to wince away the pain of her shrinking pupils.

It was between blinks that her vision focused on it. Unmistakable in every way, yet before she could place why the rage inside was growing uncontrollable her hand was beneath her jacket, resting on the hilt of her gun. It took the Princess a while to listen to the thoughts her sub-conscious had picked up on immediately. Thankfully the fox's back was still to her.

"Where did you get that?" Sally asked bluntly, clicking the hammer of her pistol into place.

The vixen stopped mid stride, her ears twitching at an painfully familiar sound.

Leather satchels were a dime a dozen, but not the one on the velvet fox's back. Sally would have recognized the worn leather and oxidized copper clasps anywhere.

"Take it easy there," Fiona said calmly, "I found it."

"Found it?" Sally snorted. "That's rich. What do you take me for? Toss it here."

She should have known better than to trust a Mobian who had betrayed her before. If Fiona had Sonic's pack then the vixen probably knew where he was.

"You want the power ring?" the fox answered back.

"What's it to you?"

"A whole lot more than it is to you. Tails mentioned how you couldn't feel pulse of its energy."

_That little brat!_ The Princess nearly screamed.

"I on the other hand," the crimson fox continued, "have already found a way to put it to use."

"This isn't a debate, it's a demand! Give me the bag!"

"Or what, you'll shoot me?"

_Why does she have to be such a smart-ass?_

Shooting the fox wouldn't get Sally any of the information she so desperately needed.

"You're letting your anger and frustration blind you, Sally," Fiona said before finally turning to face her. "You're not thinking about this right."

"And how should I be thinking about it!? You have his pack! Everyone else is missing! Sonic! Tails! Naugus! Will it be me next?"

_I need to calm down, shouting is only going to draw attention._

"What did you do with them all?" the squirrel asked in a friendlier, almost inquisitive, tone.

"Fighting already, girls?" a new voice quipped from somewhere else in the ally.

It wasn't hard to place the tall lanky Guardian's voice. This must have been amusing to him. Assuming he wasn't in on it as well.

"Stay out of this Johnny, this is between me and her!" Sally snapped back.

"Maybe you should listen to what she has to say, Princess."

"Lies!" Sally yelped through the approach of tears. "Nothing but lies! She has his backpack. How else could she have it?"

"I told you, I found it," Fiona replied calmly. "Tails and I spent quite some time looking for him."

"And now he's gone too. There's nowhere Sonic would have left that where the likes of you could have found it."

Her paws were shaking. For the first time in her life she was starting to see how Tails might have missed a certain plump dictator. In only the time it took for the squirrel to blink, her weapon disappeared.

A smug looking fox stared back it, almost daring her to attempt to retrieve it.

"Tails told me you were good," she conceded. "I shouldn't have even let you turn around."

"And yet you did. Why?" the vixen asked bluntly.

"Because I need you to tell me where he is! I swear I'll slap that collar back on you so fast…"

Sally stopped midsentence, appalled at the words that were coming out of her mouth.

_No…_

The Princess had never meant for another soul to find out that she was the one responsible for that hideous device.

"You'll what now, Princess?" the fox asked in a curious but playful tone.

"Nothing," Sally growled back in frustration.

"No, it sounded an awful lot like you wanted to put me back on my leash. It's funny you mention that. Before he ran off with Tails, Colin had some interesting things to say on the subject."

"And you no doubt believed him," Sally laughed in a condescending tone, doing her best to back track.

"I wouldn't have if Miles didn't. He was going through great lengths to keep Colin quiet."

_Tails knew…? How?_

"It was never meant for you," the Princess finally relented.

"I know it wasn't," the fox smiled warmly. "Sally, I need you to trust me."

In the vixen's outstretched hand was her pistol. All her instincts told her this was some type of trick, that she should be apprehensive about taking anything from the fox. Instead, Sally did what she had been longing to do. Clenching her fist, she wound up her arm and let her knuckles sink into the smug fox's smile.

Fiona, did little more than rub her muzzle and retract the gun.

"I'm going to let that go," the vixen stated gruffly, "not because I want to, but because I can imagine how you feel about me, about how all this looks."

"You have no idea," Sally retorted before throwing another punch.

This time it hit nothing but air. The vulpine was quicker than she expected and tossed the blow aside with a simple flick of the wrist. Each subsequent attack was met with nothing but a defensive stance.

_I'm out of practice,_ the squirrel lamented to herself.

Even if she hadn't managed to hit the fox a second time, it still felt good to try. Spinning on the ball of her foot, Sally let a high kick fly. Fiona ducked as if it were never a threat.

"Sally, this won't change anything."

"Too afraid to hit me? Too afraid to hit a Princess?"

Sally's whole life people had treated her like a girl, like some kind of fragile thing that could be broken at a moment's notice.

"I don't see what good it will do."

"I bet it will make you feel better," the Princess joked before throwing another jab, "because this is doing wonders for me."

"I didn't hurt Sonic, Sally. He was already gone when Tails and I showed up. You and I fighting won't change that."

"You've been lying to me about everything. Sonic, Ixis, Tails, that stupid power ring. You honestly think you can use it? Prove it. Sonic has been the only one I have ever known who can tap into one of those."

The vixen looked annoyed, almost as if this were not the first time someone had doubted her. Reaching into the pack, the red-furred fox retrieved the golden circlet and dangled it in front of the squirrel. Fiona waved a solitary finger in front of the Princess' face before delicately tapping the center of the squirrel's chest.

It was nothing more than a flick, and yet Sally felt herself sailing effortlessly through the air. The only thing that hurt more than her backside was her pride. The good for nothing fox wasn't lying. She could tap into the ring's power. The center of the squirrel's chest was emblazed with the pain that would come from a fist of steel.

_But that doesn't mean I believe her._

"Where did you find it?" Sally asked through a gasp. "Where did you find his backpack?"

"She found it at my place," a new voice interjected. "I thought Fiona would have given me up the first three times you asked, but she has been true to her word."

A pink hedgehog emerged from the shadows of the den wearing a nervous look.

"And you are?" Sally asked as she pushed herself back to her feet, ignoring the throbbing sensation that threatened the rhythm of her breathing.

"Amy," the pink quilled Mobian attempted to smile.

"So what has Sonic been doing at your place, Amy?"

"I don't think you'll like that answer very much, Princess."

_It would explain a lot,_ she was all too quick to admit to herself. _Why he's been distant… not as quick to return home._

"Are they telling the truth, Johnny?" the squirrel turned and asked of the only person she felt like she might be able to trust at this point.

"I can't say for certain, Princess. I only walked Miss Rose to her door. Sonic was there, but I never saw his backpack. Although I'm not sure why both Miss Rose and Fiona would lie about this, especially considering what's on the line."

"Wait, wait, wait you knew? You knew that Sonic was… was…" but Sally couldn't finish the sentence.

The Princess felt like she was going to be sick.

"I didn't know anything for sure, Sally. Sonic paid us to keep her safe. It's of little consequence to us who Amy was to him."

"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning to me?"

"The agreement was between Sonic and the other Guardians. You know our rules. Besides he could have just as easily been operating under you orders."

"But, but," she stammered before realizing speaking was beginning to hurt.

Callused paws found the small of her back before pulling her in close. It was the second time in less than twenty minutes the fox had bothered to comfort her.

_This can't be easy for her,_ Sally decided.

Fiona had every reason to hate her, but the vixen had managed to swallow her pride a second time and attempt to be something that resembled a friend. It had occurred to Sally the fox was only doing it for Tails' sake, but that's more than the squirrel had to show for herself at this point.

_I've done nothing but push away everyone who's tried to help._

"You're doing this for him aren't you?" Sally asked between sobs.

"And for you," she replied almost confidently. "Miles told me all about how you raised him, how you were the closest thing he had to a family. I could use all the family I could get, but I'm happy to start with a friend."

"You don't get win me over that easy," Sally almost laughed. "Just promise me…"

"Princess," the vixen began, "my life is full of broken promises, but whether you believe me or not, I'm on your side."


	25. All In

Previously in chapter 24...

"I didn't know anything for sure, Sally. Sonic paid us to keep her safe. It's of little consequence to us who Amy was to him."

"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning to me?"

"The agreement was between Sonic and the other Guardians. You know our rules. Besides he could have just as easily been operating under you orders."

"But, but," she stammered before realizing speaking was beginning to hurt.

Callused paws found the small of her back before pulling her in close. It was the second time in less than twenty minutes the fox had bothered to comfort her.

_This can't be easy for her,_ Sally decided.

Fiona had every reason to hate her, but the vixen had managed to swallow her pride a second time and attempt to be something that resembled a friend. It had occurred to Sally the fox was only doing it for Tails' sake, but that's more than the squirrel had to show for herself at this point.

_I've done nothing but push away everyone who's tried to help._

"You're doing this for him aren't you?" Sally asked between sobs.

"And for you," she replied almost confidently. "Miles told me all about how you raised him, how you were the closest thing he had to a family. I could use all the family I could get, but I'm happy to start with a friend."

"You don't get win me over that easy," Sally almost laughed. "Just promise me…"

"Princess," the vixen began, "my life is full of broken promises, but whether you believe me or not, I'm on your side."

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

"If you're on my side, Fiona," the princess began firmly, "prove it. Help me find Sonic, help me put an end to all of this."

Fiona was dying to point out the irony in all of this. All she had ever wanted to do was help the Resistance and yet it was Sally who had denied her.

"All I've ever wanted to do is help."

"And now is your chance. If you're everything Tails said you were… Everything that you've proven yourself to be, then getting them back won't difficult, not if we work together."

The vixen sighed. The Princess had overlooked her for years, too stubborn to let someone from the outside in. Now that the squirrel was out of options, she didn't have a choice in partners, she was stuck the same way Fiona was.

_It's like school all over again, _Fiona lamented, _I'm getting picked last because there's no else left to choose._

"May I help?" another voice piped up.

_Well not quite last…_

Sally was finding herself in an increasingly difficult spot. She was now forced to take help from what were likely the last two individuals she would ever want to call allies, or, face an already impossible task alone.

"Why?" the princess inquired, doing her best to hold back any hints of anger.

Fiona was impressed the princess didn't have more to say on the subject. This was the Mobian who was largely responsible for Sonic getting captured. Sally had every right to be mad, furious even, but perhaps this time she had decided to learn from her past and take the high road. There was no undoing what had been done, but there was a chance to prevent things from getting worse.

There's no doubt Amy was feeling guilty, not just for the blue blur's apprehension, but also for getting caught in an exceedingly embarrassing situation. Both of them were in unique positions, and each was trying to be bigger than their mistakes.

"He would do the same if it was me," Amy answered.

That much was probably true. Sonic was notorious for rescuing the most far flung members of the Resistance. Only those that made it into the hands of Kintobor were out of his reach.

"You know the risks?"

It was a rhetorical question. Amy was not naïve. There was a good chance this was a one-way trip, but at this point they didn't have much else to live for. The pink hedgehog nodded silently.

"Fine. I'm done turning people away. You want to help, help. What about you Johnny?"

"It depends if the Prince is still concerned about my obligations to something she knows nothing about."

Fiona was about to answer for the squirrel, but thankfully she had a change of heart.

"I get it, I get it," Sally sighed. "I'll get off my high horse now."

_It's about time. _

They needed Johnny if they wanted any chance of making this work. Even if Sally was as good as Miles had made her out to be this wasn't going to be easy.

"Four guns is certainly a lot better than two," she continued.

"You want to shoot your way in," Fiona nearly snorted. "I'm signing up to die as much as anyone else, but I don't want to throw my life away."

She was acting like the person she was trying to save, rash and foolhardy. Although, perhaps in her situation, it was a symptom of desperation. The princess had a plan for everything, always trying to be two or three steps ahead of her opponent. However, she didn't have a plan for this.

"Then how would you suggest we get in?"

_Finally, someone bothers to ask what I think, _Fiona smiled.

"Shouldn't be hard," the vixen proclaimed as she plucked Sally's hand terminal out of the holster in her boot.

"Hey!" She screamed, "be careful with that."

Sally seemed awfully concerned about some dingy old piece of hardware. It was made of the same kind of plastic that covered cheap childhood game units.

"Johnny," the fox called out, "If I show you a picture of some people, do you think you can whip us up some disguises?"

After a few prods at the screen, Fiona was having trouble figuring out what to do. The PDA was like nothing she had ever seen. It appeared older on the surface, but the UI went well beyond anything Fiona had ever worked with.

"Of course," the man replied.

The vixen was growing frustrated. The machine seemed to have a mind of it's own, undoing her entries as she made them.

"Nicole," the squirrel called out reluctantly, "find whatever it is Fiona's looking for."

"Of course, Sally."

The vixen nearly dropped the computer surprise. _It talks!?_

"Fiona," the computer prompted her in a dry tone, "how may I assist you?"

Kintobor had been working on AI for years and didn't have anything close to this. How was it that such a small band of misfits had managed to outpace one of the worlds foremost scientist? Then again, these were the same individuals who managed to design the collar she had worn for years, the same people she underestimated as often as they underestimated her.

"Do you have access to Dominion personnel files?"

"Yes, Fiona."

Somehow that didn't surprise her. Spying always went both ways. Kintobor had access to low level Resistance information the same way that they had managed to work their way into his networks. Personnel files were largely useless, except of course if you were looking to impersonate someone.

"Pull up all of the individuals associated with a Project Indigo."

"Accessing."

In no time at all the hand terminal hand managed to find their records, procuring them from far flung forgotten about every day sources such as library cards.

"Who are they?" Sally asked after staring at the photos being projected in the space between them.

"Even if you look close, they're no one. Kintobor made sure of it. They don't have lives as far as any computer will tell you. They only exist as a footnote, errors in his payroll system, a bunch of nobodies that are hardly tied to him at all."

"And if you look really close?"

Fiona grinned, happy that Sally caught on so easily, "The clean up crew. They get brought in to fix any screw ups and then assign the blame."

"How does this help?"

"These five men collectively control a scene once they arrive. No one asks them questions, no one gets in the way. The only person a Dominion agent would be more scared of is Kintobor himself, and he's dead."

"Then what the hell is Project Indigo and why have I never heard of it?"

"Because it's nothing, it never actually existed. It's a front for something else entirely. Project Indigo," the vixen started slowly, "was just another way to say P.I without saying Private Investigators. They were Kintobor's personal team of detectives and I only ever ran into them once, which was one time too many as far as I'm concerned."

"Then how did you figure all of this out?"

"Rumors mostly, and Jake confirmed them. It's impossible to keep their power and influence a secret, but they're not someone you need to worry about unless you mess up big. Jake had the misfortune of having The Director die under his protection. It was their investigation that resulted in three out of the four members of Jake's team 'disappearing'. The only reason he was spared was because of the value Kintobor saw in him."

"Fine," Sally began, "Say Johnny can somehow make us look like them, you're saying we just walk in there and everyone else moves out of the way."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Fiona insisted as she watched Sally's complexion bend in the light until her figure resembled that of a rigid man in his thirties.

The look of shock was humorous, especially considering it wasn't the squirrel's face that was displaying it. Her human features wrinkled and contorted in a sneer of disgust nearly as quickly as Sally's hands shot to her face, searching to see if the damage was permanent.

"Relax Princess," Johnny laughed, "it's just an illusion. Besides, it's not so bad being human. No one's gong to look at you funny, in fact most people don't look at all."

How many times had Fiona dreamed of just such a thing? The countless hours she spent envious of humans for being able to enjoy all her city had to offer. Her dominion badge had bought her an excuse, but no the right. The vixen was tolerated amongst a crowed, far from the acceptance she longed for.

"Remind me to write you a sympathy card later," Sally snapped. "And you're sure this will work?"

"Just so long as you let me do all the talking. I might be able to fix your looks, but I can't do much about all of your pretty voices."

"And what about the fifth? You said there were five of them," the princess was quick to remind them.

"I'll join you," a distinct voice called out from the shadows.

The raccoon seemed happy to snap his own fingers with a subtle nod to his friend. In no time at all the greying Mobian assumed the identity of the last man.

"Johnny," the human begged, "this isn't your fight."

"And it's yours?" his furry partner snorted.

"The Source will tear your mind apart if you follow us. Even if you want to help, you won't be able to."

"I'm only going for a walk with my friends he insisted."

"You can only fake it for so long, you know that. The Source will see through it."

"I'm not letting anything happen to you again," Johnny," the raccoon stammered. "You're my partner and I'll have your back no matter how much it hurts."

Things were starting to look up. Their once two Mobian team had grown my two Gardians and a pink hedgehog. A formidable force turned near unstoppable. However, there was no delusions about the man they might be hunting. If Kintobor was still alive, he had managed to figure out how to cheat death itself.

* * *

Hi Everyone,

I know it took me way, way, way to long to update this story. The good news is there's probably only four more chapters left, so it won't be long now. Please forgive my laziness.

Cheers,

M.D.


	26. Teeth to Bare

Another night clicked into place as if it were a machine, it's cogs turning in a uniform fashion, predictably in rhythm.

The fox seemed awfully sure of herself, especially when it came to something not even he had heard about before. These men, had somehow existed outside his preview of knowledge, which seemed beyond strange to him.

_Was no one going to say anything?_

Dozens of dominion agents had walked through the shadowy doors of The Den and none of them had thought to mention the five men that made up Kintobor's elite investigation force.

_Was it fear?_

Fiona had made it seem like it was, but perhaps it something less mundane. These were the people you feared when you needed to and ignored when you didn't. They slipped through the cracks of casual thought. There one moment like a scary looking shadow watching over you, and gone the next. They were of as much importance to the grand scheme of things as a rat in the sewers. Sharp fangs and ugly tails, but the shrew creatures were only a problem if you found yourself in places no one wanted to be.

_They don't matter, unless they matter,_ Johnny decided.

Right now they mattered. They were their ticket into the bank, no questions asked. Yesterday, they were nobodies, useless to everyone because they didn't matter. The second the little pointy nosed man disappeared into the depths of a bank vault, they were likely the most important people in the country.

"Walking in the front door," the vixen began confidently, "will be as easy as if we owned the place. But there are still a few things for you to understand."

By 'you', Johnny assumed she meant him, seeing as he and his partner were the only ones capable of speaking without raising an eyebrow or two.

"These men are not the talkative type. Even in their most intense interview they might only ask a question or two a piece."

_Precise, _the man decided. _I can relate to that. _

"If you speak," Fiona implored him, "it has to be direct and with purpose."

She said it as if he weren't capable of such a feat, but he hid his resentment of the sentiment. Besides the way he phrased his inquiries was hardly what concerned him at this point.

"Miss Fox," he asked politely.

"Fiona," she correctly quickly.

He brushed off her request, opting to continue instead, "It's been three days since the incident, wont we be too late?"

_What type of investigators show up three days late? Not the good ones, surely._

"It's possible they've already been there and left," she conceded. "Or it's possible that because no one is around to request their investigation they haven't shown up yet."

It wasn't the confidence he was hoping for, but it was still a plan.

"Besides," she continued pulling out the Dominion badge beneath her leather jacket, "between this, and our collective reputations no one will pause long enough to keep us from where we want to go."

It appeared as if it was Sally's turn to question the plan. The princess was quick to question what happened when things didn't work out so well, "We're leaving ourselves wide open. If they figure out this is a ruse, we have nothing to fall back on."

It wasn't a criticism so much as it was an observation. Sally was a tactician, and knew well enough to never dismiss a plan, not even one that sounded crazy.

"As long as we make it inside, I don't think they will be able to stop us whether they figure out who we are or not," Fiona replied.

"There's two guns between all of us. I would feel a little more comfortable if we had more than just our teeth to bare."

"We're guardians," his partner replied curtly, "we don't need guns or teeth to make a point."

"As useful as blinding our enemies is, I fail to see how it will stop them in the end."

Johnny had been wondering when his powers would come into question. With devilish grin, he locked eyes with the princess and snapped his fingers. The dumpster five feet behind him erupted into a fireball nearly 30 feet high, startling almost everyone. It was perhaps his greatest display of his power to date and he had been itching for an excuse to see what he could do now that he was no longer restrained. So close to home, there was a never ending supply of The Source for him to draw on. With enough concentrated heat he could vaporize the decomposing material in methane, which was easily capable of producing the bang he was looking for.

"Keep your weapons Princess," Johnny said wryly, "I think you'll find we don't need them."

Sally's lip hung open, resisting the urge to ask a question. Even the fox who had already seen a fair share of his power at work seemed surprised to see him take such aggressive action. Maybe there wouldn't always be a rotting pile of garbage nearby, but sometimes all that's needed is a spark in the right place.

* * *

Hey Everyone, I know it's bee way too long. I could go into lots of excuses about why I haven't posted anything, but it would probably be easier to just apologize and say here you go. Let's see if we can't finish this up.

Cheers,

M.D


	27. In the Dark

Fiona gripped the handle on the passenger door to musty old sedan and let herself in. Johnny squeezed his tall lanky form into the driver side. While he attempted to find a seat position that was comfortable, the red-furred fox watched as the other members of their team piled into an equally unattractive SUV. The raccoon, being the tallest was driving, which didn't seem to faze Sally much. For some reason the Princess was not very keen on letting the Amy out of her sight.

"Do you think they'll make it there without killing each other?" the vixen asked.

It was painful how much it felt like nothing had changed. If she didn't know better she was on another stakeout with Jake at her side, the low cost banter already flowing. _Maybe Alan was right_, Fiona sighed to herself. _Maybe I'm always going to have a human at my side. _She tried to tell herself it wasn't what she wanted, but Jake and now Johnny had easily blurred the lines between partner and friend. Both had gone more than out of their ways to have her back, to put their lives on the line for hers. She had done the same for them, but it was worth noting that it didn't hurt that they were extremely capable in their own ways.

"We can only hope," Johnny answered as he turned the key in the ignition, "neither are particular subtle with their feelings or actions."

The engine roared to life and then died down to that of bubbling purr. These men were not the type that arrived in fanfare and style. They blended on every level, indistinguishable from the most average of humans.

"So you just had the heaps of garbage laying around?"

Johnny shrugged, "We're people too. This wouldn't be my first choice, but you try buying a car with black market cash and no license. You might find that your selection is… limited."

Fiona wasn't going to complain. This is exactly what they needed.

Shifting into drive, Johnny crept forward, following his partner through the crowd-less streets.

"Why are you doing this Johnny?" she asked out of nowhere.

He had answered that question a couple of times now, but it felt as if there were still room for improvement in his answer. Revenge was easy, but his motivation felt like more than that.

"I have to, Miss F – Fiona," he corrected himself. "I have to."

"No one has to do anything," she answered back with a frown, "there's always choice, or at least so people tell me."

"Perhaps," he allowed, "but I know what happens if I don't this."

_He's seen the future,_ Fiona reminded herself. Her own thoughts were starting to sound crazy, but the man had made it fairly clear in his hazy state of mind. Perhaps he had never meant to let that detail slip, but he had.

"You know what's going to happen when we get there, don't you?"

Johnny switched his glance from the road to her and back a couple of times before answering. No doubt he wanted to see if she was serious. Her unrelenting stare should have made it clear, she was.

"In a manner of speaking, I might." His answer was cold, emotionless.

"I need to know," Fiona hesitated before continuing, "how does this end?"

Johnny smiled this time, "Fiona, even if I tell you, what makes you think you could change it?"

It was the problem she had been brushing up against her whole life. Stuck in a stream with bends and twists. It didn't matter if she swam against the current, it only meant that it would take longer for her to be washed out to sea.

"I've been trying to change the future my whole life, Johnny!" Fiona exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "What makes you think I'm going to stop trying now."

He laughed just like Jake did when she told one her jokes that wasn't funny, but was for that very reason. The Guardian probably still thought of her as some naïve strong willed individual, too proud to let their own mistakes stand in the way of what they wanted. Fiona knew others like that, they were all hell bent on ruling the world. However, she was only hell bent on ruling her own life. All but her had perished for their efforts.

"Johnny," she tried again, "on the train… you told me you used to dream about the future. What did you see?"

"How many of your dreams do you remember?"

"Far too many unfortunately," came her reply.

The Guardian snorted again, "An unlucky predicament for those of us with the power to make a difference."

"Johnny," she begged.

"I never knew what I was seeing," he finally relented before flicking the blinker to signal his turn. Depressing the gas pedal, he let the engine ease him into the rest of his story, "and why would I? They were dreams of things that had never happened to me. I considered them cautionary tales for the longest time, or at least until I met Miss Rose."

Fiona kept quiet, hoping he would continue on his own.

"I had met the rest of you before, so your appearance in my own imagination of the city we live in was not out of the ordinary. But the pink hedgehog, she was there like a premonition. I had no idea who she was or what her role in my dreams was. When Sonic brought her to us it slowly began to sink in that there was a real chance my visions were not so much dreams as they were predictions."

"How many of them have come true?"

With a disheartened grin, the Guardian replied, "All of them. Knuckles caught on after he caught me going out of my way to protect Amy. Visions amongst Guardians are not out of the ordinary. They're temptations to interfere. The Echidna reminded me that it is not our place and that we must let nature take its course. We are protectors of the balance; we don't serve those who look to change it and just because we have the power to change an outcome does not mean we should."

Fiona had too many questions for what was likely left in their card ride to Capital City's bank.

"Then why are you?"

"I'm not," he replied firmly.

It didn't make any sense. He was using his knowledge of the future to stop Kintobor and find the Freedom Fighters."

"You're helping us," Fiona implored, "you're taking a side."

"I am."

"I thought you said you couldn't change the future?"

"That's the thing, Fiona, I'm not. I told you all of my visions have come true and they're still coming true." Smiling a sad smile, Johnny went on, "I know how this all ends."

He won't change the future if he doesn't do anything differently she realized. Johnny was just playing his part, and he was the only one with a script. The Guardian was supposed to help them, and so he was. It was a cruel twist. Guardians couldn't interfere with the future, not even when the world's future was so intertwined with their own. In his visions of what was to come, Johnny was helping the Resistance. To abandon them now was to interfere, to change the future.

"You don't have a choice," Fiona finally realized.

"I do," he sighed, "just like you did."

"So then one of them isn't really a choice."

Johnny nodded in agreement.

"What do I do when my destiny is to change a future I'm not supposed to change?"

The thought process made her head hurt. _Does it even matter?_ She wondered. _Is fate all one big joke? Does what we do even matter? Was he really changing the future if he was doing everything he was supposed to?_

"If you didn't know…" the vixen hesitated, trying to find the right phrasing, "If you hadn't seen the future…"

"No," he cut her off. "If I hadn't seen all the things I've seen in my dreams I wouldn't be here and you all may very well be on your way to die. The Source wants me here, and now I want to be here. This is where I need to be."

_So it's true,_ she decided. _Something is toying with fate, nudging us and the rest of the world down a path, using us as its pawns… what else is new?_

"Does Johnny know?" Fiona asked.

The vixen had never grasped how close they were until recently. Sure, the Raccoon had asked her to look for the rather reckless human Guardian, but she thought that was just business.

"He wouldn't understand," the man hesitated. "He's played by the rules his whole life. I've played everything fast and loose and now I'm paying the price. I don't want to drag him into this anymore than I already have."

She was still having trouble wrapping her own mind around it. Which rule is more important? _Don't help anyone who seeks to change the balance? Or don't knowingly change the future? _It seemed like Johnny was going to end up breaking a rule no matter what he did. Yet the Source had offered him a way out. By letting Johnny see a future where he helped stop Kintobor, it appeared as if The Source was forcing him to take on this mission. It certainly helped explain his seemingly unlimited power.

"What is it?" Fiona asked, hoping she wouldn't have to utter its name. She was scared of the power this orpiment force wielded, convinced it was always watching, always listening.

"What is what, Fiona?"

"The Source?" The vixen replied before looking over her shoulder. "What is it?"

Johnny sighed, "That's a complicated question, Miss Fox," he replied sincerely.

"I mean what's down there? What are you protecting?"

"Do you believe in God?"

The rapid change in his tone alarmed her. _Am I supposed to? _As far as she was concerned no God would have let its creations rip each other limb from limb.

"No," the velvet vixen replied.

The car's breaks squealed as they rolled to a stop. Johnny felt content to let the silence fester until the light changed colors. Fiona wasn't going to complain; she was finally getting some answers. _But how much do I want to know? Am I better off not knowing?_

"There are forces in this world greater than us. You've seen them with your own eyes. That power comes from many places. Mine," he hesitated, "comes from a place of darkness, Fiona. That dingy basement is home to something scary as it is beautiful."

"How did it get there?"

"We're its followers, its guardians. Knuckles has been around for a century or more. We take it where ever it desires."

Fiona knew something about blindly following orders. She had been doing it over half her life. Part of her wanted to tell the man that she understood, but in reality she didn't. Being a slave to something unseen was different.

"Why here in the middle of all this?"

Johnny smiled, "Why here amidst all the darkness and despair?"

The fox couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Are you saying…?"

"It feeds off people's vial nature like a sponge and where better to be in the world than the heart of Capital City? In our little den resides the most powerful gem known to this planet. It's filled with pure chaos, replenished a hundred times over daily thanks to the likes of Kintobor and Ixis. Its surface," he spoke in a tone of admiration now, "is so dark not even I can see its shape. Those who can wield its power need never fear the light of day or dark of death."

"So the Source is evil?"

Johnny laughed again, "No. Our malevolent nature is just one of its many sources of power. While I don't know for sure, it's long been speculated that there are other Emeralds for the other forces. They're all supposed to be in balance, good, bad, light, dark, and whatever else is out there. But Julian's wars and corruption have been tipping the scales further and further towards darkness. The Source is likely taking steps to compensate, to bring order back to this world."

"Is that why its sending you?"

"The Source works in mysterious ways, Fiona. As many questions as I have, I have no way of asking them."

This was too much. _First power rings, now rocks made of chaos._

"So then what about Power Rings?"

"Fun, aren't they?"

He was missing the point. _Are all these things related?_

She nodded, although that much power scared her, "where do they come from?"

"The Source, I suspect, but I don't know how they're made or where they come from, they just are. They could just as easily be relics from another time or place. Power Rings are the other side to the same coin. The emerald… it feeds off the energy of others. The rings help you align your chakras, amplify your chi, unlock hidden potential and energize the heart of your very soul. They make you the power source."

Fiona was quick to retort, "I think I missed that session at yoga."

This time the Guardian's chuckle was lighthearted. It came from a place of warmth, "My connection to The Source lets me control darkness, a power ring reveals your inner light. Do you understand?"

_Do understand? _ The vixen wanted to scream. _How am I supposed to understand any of this? Chaos Emeralds feed off bad people. Power Rings make people good? _Her head was spinning.

"No, I don't get it, where do they get their energy?" Fiona asked as she produced the power ring from her backpack. It was as unique as it was dull, "I mean if you get yours from an emerald that feeds off the bleakness of this city, where does the power in this ring come from? All the good in the world," she snorted in jest.

"Would you believe me if I said it's already inside you? Those with conflict inside them will never be able to wield a ring. Only those with the purest of intentions can command its power."

"Don't let Sally here you say that," the fox chuckled.

_A lack of conflict, _she wanted laugh at herself. The fox's life was the very definition of conflict. Pure intentions were a different story, _the only thing I've ever wanted is to live my life… and Miles. _

"A power ring," he went on, "is nothing more than a tool. When you hold a power ring, you tap into the power of a more perfect self. You wield your full potential, not some divine energy. There's a reason you're not tethered to The Source like I am. Anyone who comes into contact with an emerald will inevitably be condemned to the same fate I was."

"But I thought you said a power ring could kill you… break your link the source? Wouldn't it just make you even stronger?"

"I've been altered Fiona. I don't sleep, I don't remember who I am, I bend light like you do tissue paper… If I touched that ring I would become whole again, it would undo everything that the source has seen fit to do me. I would cease to cease to be a Guardian, to have the protection against time and harm it provides. I'm not sure what I would become, but it's the only way out of all of this for someone like me."

The bank loomed in the distance. They needed Johnny now more than ever. He couldn't be having second thoughts. The look of horror on her face must have been apparent.

"Relax Fiona, I'm not going anywhere. We have some unfinished business to attend to."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Fiona felt compelled to ask. "I never actually thought you would answer any of those questions."

Johnny went silent again, the small smile that had been on his face disappearing as he focused on the glass building ten blocks in the distance. _He knows the future,_ the fox reminded herself, _he's doing everything he's supposed to._

"Wait!" she nearly screamed at him, "You knew you had to tell me all that. You're doing what's it wants you to do. Johnny!" she tried to calm herself, "I swear if you're trying to make me a Guardian I'll shove this Power Ring so far up yo…"

"Miss Fox," he interrupted, "I can't tell you the future because you might try to change it, but what I can tell you is that there are things you need to know."

_Just keep treading the water, FI, just keep treading the water._

* * *

I wanted to start closing up some of the loose ends in the story. This kind of seemed like a fun way to do it. Not much action, but hopefully what is there is worth it.

Cheers,

M.D


End file.
